


The Global Counter Terrorism Initiative

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Birth of a Dragon [2]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Corrupt military organisation, F/M, Multi, forced service
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-06 20:56:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15894000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: Torn away from Kasumi by the events on her 20th birthday Takeshi is forced to find his footing in a new world.A world that teaches him a lot of lessons of just how deeply greed and corruption runs within the world of humans.





	1. Boot Camp - GCTI Style

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi looked at his watch as he arrived at the gate of the GCTI training facility and he still had an hour before he was supposed to be there so he decided to walk around the compound to get a feel for it.

“Kiryu, Takeshi. I was instructed to report in at 0600 today.”  
Half an hour later he handed the forged ID and the papers to the guard at the gate who looked them through quickly.  
“You are early, head to the registration office, the others will arrive shortly.”  
“Thank you.”

He walked over to the indicated building and took a seat under one of the trees at the edge of the yard in front of it and about 15 minutes later a bus arrived and was met by a pair of drill instructors so he approached them for further instructions.  
As much as he hated what he had to do, he would play the role of the dutiful soldier to protect Kasumi and the Kiryu.  
While one of the officers entered the bus Takeshi handed his papers to the one outside and was instructed to walk over to the line on the ground in front of the building and wait.

What followed was the somewhat traditional ritual of establishing dominance, making them jump through the hoops, but Takeshi forced his emotions down and followed the instructions given.  
There were a few things that was different from what Takeshi expected based on his studies, one was that they were not ordered to address the drill instructors as _Drill Sergeant_ , instead they were instructed to use Sir/Ma'am or Instructor and their last name.

“Well well, what do we have here?”  
The officer who had been in the bus stopped in front of Takeshi and gave the case with his swords a nudge with his foot.  
“Do you think this is some sort of a resort where you'll have time to play pool with the boys?”  
“No, Sir!”  
“Then why the hell have you brought your cues?”  
“They are swords, not pool cues, Sir.”

The look that Takeshi received made it quite obvious that the instructor didn't believe him so he brought the case forward and opened it to show the twin katana inside while holding out his recruitment documents that included permission to bring his own weapons on the base.  
It was the twin blades that Doufaran had made for him, the ryuken was hidden away within his soul, he didn't think it would be a good idea to let anyone from the GCTI see it.

“I was recruited mainly for my skill with the blades, Sir.”  
The instructor quickly took his papers and looked them through.  
“Takeshi Kiryu is it?”  
Takeshi cringed slightly at the way the instructor butchered his name, pronouncing it as if trying to say _'Take a shit'_ which was more than he would be able to stand, Kiryu sounded close enough though.  
“It's Tah-keh-shi, Sir.”  
The instructor nodded and repeated his name with the correct pronunciation while making a note in his papers.  
“And this box Kiryu, guns?”  
“Yes Sir. A pair of Desert Eagle 357 L5.”  
“A good choice. But I would think someone your size would go for the L6.”  
“I prefer the balance of the L5, Sir.”  
The instructor nodded before instructing Takeshi to schedule an appointment at the gun range with him.  
“Yes, Sir!”

They were ordered to run over to the quartermasters building where they were met by another group of instructors as the ones that had initially received them returned to the main building to receive another group of recruits.

“Now listen up! The GCTI is not the military, our methods are similar but our goals are different. This facility is for the training of individuals with the special talents needed for special operations teams. Many of you, especially the _3_ _rd_ _strikers_ , will **not** be suited for this and will either be dismissed, or transferred to more suitable training.”

The _3_ _rd_ _strikers_ were career criminals who were facing life in prison under the habitual offenders act and had been given the option to join the GCTI instead of going to prison.  
The regular military prohibited anyone from joining on a judges orders, but that was not the case with the GCTI, quite the contrary, they thrived on taking in criminals hoping to avoid long prison sentences.

“This means we will permit a higher degree of individualism than the military services would. For instance we do not require the usual buzz cut merely that the recruits are clean and presentable.”  
Takeshi sighed in relief, he had not been looking forward to the idea of having his hair cut off.  
“This does however **not** mean anything goes!”

The instructor walked up to a young man, one of 3rd strikers, and ordered him to take two steps forward.  
“This, for instance is not acceptable. You will report to the barber to have this monstrosity removed.”  
The young man was wearing torn clothes covered in spikes and chains and his hair was styled into multicolored spikes.

Each recruit was inspected individually and when it was Takeshi's turn the instructor took a long look at his hair which made him want to squirm, there was still a pretty high risk he would be ordered to cut it.  
“You are well groomed so this will be allowed for now, but if it becomes an issue during training you will be required to at least shorten the length.”  
“Yes Sir! Thank you Sir.”  
His reiki would make sure the braid didn't get in his way.

After being ushered inside the building they were ordered into a room with several long tables with stacks of plastic tubs.  
“Everyone bring out your bags and place them on the table in front of you!”  
It was time to have their bags checked for contraband.  
Takeshi quickly found himself glad that he had not listened to Kasumi and only packed the bare essentials as quite a few items were on the list of items they were not allowed to bring.

He did cause some wide eyes when they were requested to present any _weapons_ they might have.  
There was a collection of metal combs, nail-files and such as well as a few small knives and knuckles but when Takeshi showed the blades, throwing needles and guns in their cases the instructor clearly hadn't expected it.  
Thrown of balance the instructor ordered him to field strip and present the guns which Takeshi quickly complied with.  
“Cleaning patch!”  
He quickly opened his cleaning kit and handed the requested items to the instructor who checked how well cleaned his gun was and after inspecting the piece of white cloth for any signs of dirt he handed them back and instructed Takeshi to reassemble the weapon.  
“Excellent. You keep your guns well cleaned and you work fast as well. How often do you shoot?”  
“At least three times a week Ma'am.”  
“A good habit.”  
He was instructed to properly mark the cases with his name and enlistment number and place them on a large table next to the instructors.  
“If your papers check out you will be able to collect them later.”  
“Yes Ma'am.”

“Kiryu, what is this?”  
“It's my hanko, Ma'am.”  
“And what is a hanko?”  
“Ma'am, it's a seal stamp with my name written in kanji. As a Japanese national I am required to have one for signing documents. I carry three hanko, one with the formal _jitsuin_ seal, one with the _gink_ _ō_ _-in_ and the casual _mitomein_.”  
Takeshi quickly explained about the seals and with a nod he was given permission to keep them.  
“Is the ink usable on on clothing and washer proof?”  
“Yes Ma'am!”  
“Then you may use the small one together with your service number to mark your belongings. You will inform the registration officer of this.”  
“Yes Ma'am! Thank you Ma'am!”

When everyone's belongings had been sorted through they were instructed to line up again and were taken to the next room where they were issued a large bag of toiletries and other necessities.  
“You will be issued an initial allowance of clothes, this will be docked from your initial pay. You will receive an allowance for replacing worn items, but if you do not care for your items you may be required to use your regular pay to replace them.”  
**“Yes Sir!”  
** The volume of the answer almost made Takeshi flinch, it would be tough on his enhanced senses but he shook it off and followed the line and soon fund himself at the first station.  
“Shoe size?”  
“12.”  
He was handed two shoe-boxes and two packs of socks before moving to the next station.

“Damn you're a skinny one. Try these on. They should fit once you put on some mu...”  
The man handing out the fatigues went silent as Takeshi removed his clothes to do as instructed.  
Like most he had assumed that Takeshi's somewhat lanky appearance was due to him being outright skinny but once his clothes were off it became quite obvious that he had a lot of muscle and that his appearance was due to a combination his lean and wiry build and choice of clothes, not a lack of muscle.  
“Hot damn!”  
“♪♫!”  
“Sweet ink man!”  
There were some catcalls and wolf-whistles as he stripped down but they were quickly silenced and reprimanded by the instructors.  
Takeshi had never been shy about his body or nudity, and after two years in Miami with Kasumi, who just loved to show him off, he was well aware of the effect his body could have, so he was more or less immune to the reactions.  
He quickly put the offered clothes on and found that they were not a very good fit.  
“It will have to do for now. But get him measured and order a more appropriate size.”  
The instructor was clearly not pleased with the fit of the BDU's.  
“Yes Sir!”  
A tape-measure was brought out and Takeshi was told to stand straight and raise his rams while the young soldier took his measurements and wrote them down.

Once they had made it through the various stations they had all received a duffle-bag and a selection of clothing and towels and were told to get changed.  
Once done some were sent of to the barber while Takeshi and the others were chased toward the registration office on the other end of the compound and it quickly became obvious that many of the recruits were not in all that good condition.  
The young woman next to him stumbled and struggled with the weight and bulk of the bags.  
“Kiryu, you look like you have energy to spare. Why don't you give Daniels a hand with her bags?”  
“Yes Sir!”  
He quickly grabbed the duffle-bag with the clothes and hoisted it up on his shoulder next to his own bags without missing a step and before long they were lined up in front of another building.

“Now get in there and get your papers registered. You will regather here when you are done!”  
The initial registration process was fairly quick and Takeshi soon found himself in front of the building again where they were instructed to form a line and then they made to run to the barracks , back at the other end of the compound, near the quartermasters.

“In the GCTI we don't care if you are male or female, you will be treated the same and the same conduct will be expected of everyone. This means coed lodgings. The only exception is that any female not currently taking _RCS_ will report to the medical office for an injection. ”  
There were some mixed reactions to information, both the coed part, and the part about mandatory RCS injections.  
The _Reproductive Cycle Suppressants_ , or as they were popularly called, _Blockers_ , was a new form of contraceptive that completely suppressed the female cycle, meaning they would have no periods to worry about.

“Everyone inside!”  
Takeshi found himself somewhat surprised at the inside of the barracks, the layout looked a lot like a cross between a modern dormitory and a cubicle office.  
Along the walls the large room was divided into many smaller sections by rows of combined desk and storage units, the back of each unit acting as a wall toward the next unit and against that wall was sturdy looking bed.  
Each _room_ formed by the desk unit had a window and there was railing in the ceiling with a simple curtain that would allow for some privacy, he had expected it to be just rows of bunk beds and lockers.  
Takeshi was relieved to find that the beds were the extra long version as he had a hard time being comfortable in the in the shorter 75” beds, with his 188cm the 190.5cm tall beds were a bit tight, the _XL_ version at 80”, 203cm, was far more comfortable.  
They were quickly assigned a _room_ before the instructors moved on to the rules, and their schedule.

“Any questions?”  
Takeshi raised his hand as they had been instructed.  
“Yes, Kiryu?”  
“Sir, may I have a word in private?”  
Takeshi didn't want to ask for favors in front of the other recruits.  
“You may. Come see me in the office when you are done unpacking.”  
“Thank you Sir!"  
Once done Takeshi hurried to the dorm office where the instructor quickly received him.  
“What is on your mind Kiryu?”  
“Sir, may I request to be assigned additional physical fitness time to work on my martial arts and swordsmanship?”  
“How much time?”  
“Ideally two hours each day, one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, Sir.”  
“That is a lot of additional time. You really think you can handle it?”  
“Yes Sir. The training to become a Kage is a very strict regimen. And I am accustomed to several hours of training every day to maintain and build my physical form and skill.”  
“Kage?”  
“Yes, Sir. It is a traditional form of highly specialized personal bodyguard in Japan. I have been trained to be one since I was 5.”  
“Very well. You may use the base facilities outside of your scheduled hours.”  
“Thank you Sir.”  
“I see that Sergeant Ellis has put you up for extra time at the gun range as well. You will have a busy schedule.”  
“Yes Sir, I am aware of that. I can handle it.”  
“Confidence is good, but don't overdo it.”  
“I won't Sir.”  
“Good, now get your ass back with the others. You have 5 minutes before mealtime.”  
“Yes Sir. Thank you Sir.”

Takeshi quickly found that mealtime would probably be the toughest part for him.  
He was accustomed to the Japanese philosophy where a proper meal was allowed to take its time, and now he was expected to wolf down his food in a quarter of the time it would usually take.  
He also received a few crooked looks at the amount of food he piled up on his tray and some rather surprised looks when he ate every last scrap of it.

Once lunch was done with they were sent to the medical building for a physical checkup and to get a dental scan for their records.  
Some of the papers Takeshi handed over to the medical staff was forged though, the birth certificate was one of those forged documents, but also his immunization records were forged by the Kiryu doctor.  
Takeshi had not actually received any of the listed vaccines though, instead his reiki protected him, and the forged list would reduce the amount of shots he would be forced to take.

The rest of the day was spent filling out paperwork and going through various exams and tests with only a short break for an evening meal and by the time they returned to the barracks most of his group were dead on their feet.  
Most were just tired and sore, but he noticed that one of the other young men was limping badly.  
“Thompson, how about you let me have a look at that foot.”  
Thompson looked hesitant but after a moment he gave in and sat down on the bench and allowed Takeshi to remove his boot which quickly revealed a pretty bad blister on the heel.  
Checking the other foot revealed that it was fine and the cause was probably that Thompson's feet simply were different sizes.  
“You need to talk to the instructor and ask to see the quartermaster about getting your left boot half a size smaller. If today is any indicator for the amount of walking and running we will be doing you will need it.”  
“But... Come on, they are seriously scare man...”  
“It's gonna be worse if you can't do what they tell you to because your foot is messed up.”  
It took a bit of nudging, but he managed to convince Thompson and a few others to go talk to the instructor about their boots.  
The moment Thompson had left a few of the others approached him with a clearly curious energy about them.

“Hey, Kiryu was it?”  
“Yes.”  
“Say, that ink of yours, is it an authentic Irezumi?”  
The young man, Takeshi couldn't place a name with his face, had quite a few tattoos himself and clearly knew at least something about traditional tattoos.  
“It is.”  
“You better behave boys, this guy is a big shot.”  
The tone was somewhere between awe and respect which made Takeshi give him a slight nod in return, acknowledging the respect given.  
“Yeah, big money... What of it?”  
The others were not quite as respectful.  
“Hell no, money alone won't get you ink like that, you gotta prove yourself.”  
There was a bit of arguing, the group clearly knew each-other from before, and after a while the others folded and gave in to the tattoo enthusiast.  
“So, Kiryu. Mind letting us know how you earned your ink?”  
He took a moment to consider if he should answer the question, then decided to just tell the truth.  
“I'm a Kage. And to become a Kage you must be a Shinobi.”  
“Oh fuck! Seriously?!”  
“Seriously.”  
“Damn!”

After a bit more chatter Takeshi excused himself to work on his usual evening routine, since they hadn't been showed the training facilities yet he simply did it in the open area in the middle of the dorm.  
“Working out after all the running! Are you insane?”  
There where quite a few quips as he began his routine.  
“I'm used to a high level of physical activity. I do suggest all of you take the time to at least stretch though, or you may just find it hard to move in the morning.”  
Quite a few scoffed at him and called him crazy, but most of the others did listen and did their best to try to stretch, which ended with him guiding them through a modified Qigong session focused on stretching and cooling down properly.  
He could feel the instructor watching them, and as soon as he called the session done the instructor walked in and ordered them into the showers and then to bed.

Takeshi found himself having a hard time falling asleep though, every time he closed his eyes his mind replayed the previous night in vivid detail, every touch, every sensation over the bond, and he could feel Kasumi echo it back at him from a distance, she was still well within the active range of the bond.  
It made it painfully obvious why Hisao had warned them about ever being intimate, every fiber of his being longed for the sensations he and Kasumi had shared, the absolute oneness, and the pleasure.  
He could feel her reaching out for him and it was a struggle to remain where he was and not just leave to seek her out, he had to repeatedly remind himself of the danger she and the rest of his family would be in if he did not comply with the GCTI.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The following morning began in chaos as a loud alarm started blaring at 0400 and most of the recruits were thrown into a mix of panic and zombie mode.  
Takeshi wasn't sleeping though, he was used to getting up before the sun, normally he would wake up about an hour before the sun to meditate before starting his day so it wasn't all that early for him.  
As he was a light sleeper, always aware of his surroundings, had woken up the moment the instructors came up the stairs to their floor of the barracks.  
By the time the others had gotten their clothes on and began scrambling for the bathrooms Takeshi had already washed up and brushed his teeth and was waiting in front of his little cubicle, going through a set of warm-up stretches and found himself being scrutinized by the instructor.  
“Kiryu, do you have prior experience with basic training?”  
“Not formally Sir. But some aspects were present in my training.”  
The instructor nodded and made a few notes in his notebook before looking at the others who were starting to return from the bathrooms, and a few of them took Takeshi's cue and started warming up as well.

At 4:30 everyone was gathered outside the barracks and were receiving instructions for their morning physical, starting with a warm-up, then they were taken for a run and pretty much made to run until the couldn't run anymore.  
“Kiryu! Pace up!”  
Takeshi had been pacing himself to a speed he knew he could maintain for several hours, and the instructor obviously picked up on it.  
“Yes Sir!”  
He quickly increased his pace as high as he could without starting to tap into his reiki and was made to run for quite some time before the instructor was satisfied and made a few notes in his notebook.

After breakfast they were marched to the armory to receive more equipment as well as being issued their training weapons and Takeshi was allowed to pick up his blades and guns with instructions as for how they were to be stored at the barracks.  
He also received a set of keys for the small weapons locker that was a part of his cubicle.

“Those with prior firearms experience, step forward!”  
The group that stepped forward were asked to list what weapons they had experience with and were tested on their knowledge about each weapon.  
“That is quite a list Kiryu. Are you trying to lie to me?”  
“No Sir. I received firearms training as a part of previous my training and I have passed SAT tactical weapons testing. My Japanese records should arrive by the end of the week.”  
“Where did you receive your training and certification?”  
“Sir, I was trained by a private instructor, William Parker of Parker Security. And I did my trials at the SAT training facility in Naha, Okinawa.”  
The instructor took some notes and made him field-strip his Desert Eagles as well as his issued M16 to show that he was indeed familiar with the weapon.  
He managed to piss off the armory officer though when he made a note that the M16 he had received was not properly cleaned and lubricated, but he didn't really care, and the instructor seemed pleased with his attention to detail.

The first two days were mostly orientation, but on the 3rd day he and the rest of the “E unit” had been called to assemble in their barracks to be assigned their head instructor.

“Listen up you lowlife scum!”  
Takeshi instantly disliked the new instructor, the others had been harsh, but not in a bad way, this guy however reeked of malice and contempt.  
“You will address me as Sarge!”  
“Yes Sarge!”  
He walked along the opposite side of the hall from where Takeshi's lodgings was located and inspected each area and recruit carefully, offering rude and condescending comments to all of them.  
“I have the unfortunate displeasure of having been assigned to turn you miserable, criminal, asses into something resembling soldiers so you will listen and you will do what you are told!”

Takeshi's unit consisted of what was called _special cases_ , some where people like Takeshi, individuals with unique skills that had been forced into service in various ways .  
Most of them though were young _3_ _rd_ _strike losers_ who had been offered a deal, GCTI service or life in prison under the habitual offender act so it was a fairly rough crowd.

“Well well well, what do we have here. Takeshi Kiryu.”  
The annoying man stopped in front of him and moved slightly from side to side to inspect him.  
“Yes Sarge.”  
“So this is the trash that killed my boys huh?”  
The words made Takeshi want to curse, it would seem this asshole knew the soldiers he had killed when they went after Kasumi.  
It took everything Takeshi had to remain still when the Sarge hooked his swagger stick under his braid and pulled it out from its place tucked into his clothes.  
“Looks like a sissy girl to me!”  
With that he pulled out a combat knife with the intent to cut Takeshi's braid at the neck and Takeshi reacted instantly.  
As a result of the attack the Sarge had spent two weeks in hospital with several broken bones, four fractured ribs, dislocated shoulder, dislocated jaw and several other minor injuries, and of course Takeshi still had his braid tucked in its usual place.

“The Sergeant came at me with a knife aimed at my throat, I am trained to react swiftly and decisively in such an event. He should consider himself lucky I managed to stay my hand from delivering a killing blow. Had I been carrying my blades he would have been a head shorter.”  
The hearing was informal to decide what to do about Takeshi's attack on a superior officer.  
“Kiryu does have a point. All witnesses stated that Sergeant Wells drew his knife and attacked.”  
“And why should we tolerate a recruit putting a superior officer in the hospital?”  
The Base Commander turned to Takeshi with an expectant look.  
“With all due respect Sir. I was _recruited_ for my skill at killing in hand to hand combat. For my training as a Kage. Then you expect me to not react in accordance with that training? Would you expect a soldier to react in any other way when attacked?”  
The Commander looked somewhat surprised at Takeshi's sharp tone and less than respectful reply but then he nodded slowly.  
“You're right, I wouldn't. It does raise one concern though. Will you be able to hold back and not hurt the other recruits?”  
The Commander's concern was understandable, but it almost made Takeshi chuckle.  
“Yes, Sir. There will be no problems in training situations. My sensei was a firm believer that sparring against a weaker or less skilled opponent was a good exercise in control and discipline.”  
“And was it?”  
“Very.”  
The commander leaned back in his seat for a moment, clearly considering the options and Takeshi was struggling not to allow his nervousness show.

He was telling the truth, he had reacted on instinct and barely managed to stay his hand, he didn't regret his actions, but he was worried what would happen to Kasumi and the others if they deemed him unmanageable.

“I have made my decision. We will overlook this incident. But we will be keeping an extra eye on you.”  
“Thank you Sir.”

On the 5th day they were called to attention for barracks inspection and once the instructor, Sergeant Ellis was satisfied he lined them up in front of the building.  
“With Sergeant Wells out on medical courtesy of Kiryu here I have been reassigned as your primary instructor.”  
The relief in the group was obvious.  
“This does not mean you will be getting away with shit! Kiryu! Step forward!”  
Takeshi was fully expecting to get smoked badly as he stepped forward and stood at attention.  
“I have decided I want you as platoon leader, don't let me down.”  
For a moment Takeshi was thrown off guard but he quickly recovered and managed to stop himself from bowing.  
“Thank you Sir, I won't Sir.”  
“You will present me with a team rooster and suggestions for team, squad and assistant platoon leaders by the end of the week.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
He was brought to the instructors office where he was given a rundown of what his duties would be.  
“Despite the incident with Sergeant Wells you are clearly well disciplined and you have a calm but authoritative disposition, the others are already looking to you for guidance. Have you received any real leadership training?”  
“Yes Sir, I have.”  
“Good, that should make this nice and smooth.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The next couple of weeks few by in a flurry and by the time the basic 15 weeks were done half of Takeshi's original group had left, and they had received 20 new recruits from other bases who had been assigned to the special unit training.  
Takeshi found that he actually enjoyed himself, most of the instructors were decent enough people as long as no one screwed up too badly or messed around.  
It was a lot of physical training but that didn't really bother him, it was no more than he was used to, though he did put on a bit more bulk simply to keep the instructors happy with his _development_.  
It kept them from actively trying to run him ragged.

With the basic training done they were assigned to educational classes, most of them was to make sure everyone had a basic education to allow them to blend into various environments, but they were also offered advanced classes in various topics.  
He really liked all the classes they were given, especially the more advanced classes which were taught by experts in the field, there was even a physics teacher who was a world leading authority on quantum physics.  
Kiryu money and contacts had made sure he always had access to great tutors, but it was nothing compared to the teachers the government sanctioned power and funds of the GCTI was able to acquire.

There had been a few classes he was less fond of though, for instance the time he spent in Kabul learning _Enhanced Interrogation Techniques_ , or in plain English, torture.  
It had been a tough time, his caring nature rebelled against inflicting fear and pain in such a methodical manner, his sole relief was the fact that the distance made sure Kasumi didn't feel his pain at what he had to do.  
The instructors sadistic glee and obvious delight as he successfully broke his assigned prisoner made him struggle not to retch, it was a constant struggle not to show any emotions about what he was made to do.

“Holy fuck Kiryu! You look like shit! They send you ya to fucking hell or something?”  
“Baya! Language!”  
Takeshi scolded her out of habit, her foul language didn't really bother him personally but if the instructors heard her talking like that they could all look forward to being run into the ground.  
“Yes Sir!”  
Baya instantly dropped and started working of her usual punishment for excessively foul language, she was a good student and did well in hand to hand and had excellent stamina and she excelled as a scout, but she had quite the mouth on her.  
“I think hell might just be a nice place compared to where I was...”  
He spoke softly, still struggling with himself over what he had seen, what he had done.  
“Don't let them break you kid.”  
“I won't Hertz, I won't. And **you** better not let the instructors hear you talk to me like that.”  
Hertz just sighed and started working off his own allotment of repetitions next to Baya.

Takeshi had taken well to his role as platoon leader and had found a good balance to manage the collection of misfits that was the men and women he was in charge of.  
It hadn't been easy though, many of them didn't take well to being told what to do by someone they considered an equal, or considered themselves above, there were a lot of self proclaimed alpha types among them.  
Even the toughest among them had relented though after getting thoroughly thrashed a few times in sparring.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

GCTI Special Environments Survival Training facility, Death Valley, California

Takeshi was sitting in the shade underneath the old Airbus CN-235 that had brought them to this particular corner of hell.  
Even in the shadow the heat was blistering, but at least it was better than out there in the sun.  
-"Hey Take, where the hell are you off hiding this time?"  
He heard Daniels calling for him but ignored her, he needed time to meditate to get his body temperature down before Sergeant Wells got him killed, he had been made to run non-stop since sunrise and his body could only handle so much.  
So instead of responding he refocused a small amount of his reiki into hiding his presence and the rest on recovering the damage caused by heat and dehydration.

He had managed to avoid the vindictive sergeant until it was time for their hot climate survival training, and now the man was after him with a vengeance.

”Take! I know you can hear me! Get your skinny ass over here or I’ll find you and drag you back to camp by that fancy braid of yours!”  
He sighed deeply, Daniels was okay but she could be a bit high spirited for his taste.  
“ **TAAAAKEEE!** ”  
Not to mention loud.  
He stood up and walked out from underneath the plane since it was obvious the woman wouldn't give up on finding him anytime soon and his head was hurting bad enough without her yelling.  
”Take, come on dude, Sarge is gonna frigging flog us both if we don't get back to camp before the next session starts.”  
This time the tone of her voice held a pleading note and he could sense her fear.  
He had no intention of being late, but he had clearly made her worry so he walked up behind her and whispered in her ear  
“Well, I can't let that happened now can I, _sweetie_?”  
She spun around with a shriek and slapped him, hard, across the face.  
He could of course have avoided it, but that would just make her temper even worse and it wasn't like she could do any real damage anyway.  
“Take! How many times do I have to tell you don't frigging sneak up on me like that! One of these times I might carry a knife or something you know.”  
At this he merely smiled and nodded.  
“Hai hai, _sweetie_.”  
She glared at him and responded with an impressive growl.  
“And don't you sweetie me you jerk! Oh, and cut the Japanese while we're at it!”  
He ignored her outburst and started walking towards the small camp that was their home in hell.

“You know we will get smoked if Sarge hears you calling me Take.”  
“Yes Sir...”  
“And what else?”  
“I should have been paying better attention to my surroundings...”  
“Indeed.”  
“Two sets?”  
“Not in this heat, do them once it cools off.”  
“Yes Sir! Thank you Sir.”

Out of the fifty youths forced into the “Special Talents” training unit only ten remained, some had been moved to regular units after being considered to be too _normal_ for the special unit.  
Others had perished along the way, some to accidents during training, some had been deemed _uncontrollable_ and had been eliminated.  
They had also received some new additions along the way.  
The two year “basic” training, including everything from weapons training and martial arts to learning to pilot the more common aircraft they could expect to come across as well as parachuting, free-diving, diving with tanks, tactical driving, medical training and a number of other skills that could be useful had now been completed and what remained of the unit was moved on to what was referred to as _Special Environments Survival Training_.  
This training took place at some of the most extreme locations the planet had to offer and first out was _Hell_ , high temperature environment training in Death Valley, California.  
He knew that the next location would be _Heaven_ , high altitude and cold weather training at Mount McKinley, Alaska.

Though his presence there was forced his thirst for knowledge had made sure the time spent wasn't too bad and he had to admit that most of the instructors had been decent enough people, sergeant Wells though had become another name on the list of people that would find themselves missing their heads once he was able to move freely again.

Walking into the small tent camp he gave the other nine members of the unit a quick look to check their condition, the medical training they had received had been easy to incorporate into his reiki abilities making him able to detect problems long before they became serious enough to cause symptoms.  
Ramirez, the Spanish _explosives and demolition expert,_ or more precisely a safe-cracker who was offered GCTI service instead of a very long prison sentence, was perfectly fine with the heat as always same with Adannaya, she was used to these kinds of conditions.  
Eriksson on the other hand was most definitely not okay, the Swedish _acquisitions expert,_ a nice way of saying, pickpocket, car-thief and notorious cat-burglar, had been suffering badly from the heat even back in Miami and she was now showing signs of heat exhaustion, the other six were hot and tired but nothing that would threaten their health.  
As he walked past them to his spot he tossed Eriksson a water bottle.  
“Eriksson, you’re out for this one. Get your ass to the freezer and get some rest.”  
She merely nodded and walked of toward the plane and inside of it, the _freezer_ , a small air-conditioned compartment with a handful of small cots that mainly served as a medical facility.

“ **Hey Kiryu!** **What the fuck do you think you're doing?** ”  
Sarge yelled at him and he calmly took his position before he replied.  
“My job Sarge. I'm still the PL and as such it is my duty to see to the health of my men. After all, what good would the unit be if I allowed my acquisitions officer to be taken out of commission or even killed from heat-stroke while having the means to prevent it?”  
In response a sharp pain stung his cheek and Takeshi longed for the day when he would feed Wells that swagger stick before taking his head.  
Another sharp sting, the other cheek this time and a muttered curse.  
“I will break you, you useless piece of shit!”  
But as usual the abuse rewarded him no reaction at all save for the rest of the unit struggling to not let their amusement show.  
“Get out of here you worthless losers, you have your orders, now scram!”

The assignment this time was a simple search and destroy, a terrorist weapons depot was located somewhere in the _Frying Pan_ , the hottest part of this godforsaken place, their job was to find it and destroy it.  
Sounded simple enough but once you took the extreme heat and lack of water into account it was actually a pretty dangerous assignment, one he knew the unit was in no condition for as the others simply did not have the resilience to survive the heat under those conditions.  
As they walked toward the target location the old tracker, Hertz, walked up to his side and looked at the marks on his face.  
“You gotta teach me how to do that someday kiddo. Those blows must have hurt like crazy and you never flinch in the least.”  
To this Takeshi merely smirked and replied with a jibe.  
“You know what they say about teaching old dogs gramps”  
Sure, Hertz wasn't by far that old but with his 29 he was the oldest in their group and his habit of calling everyone _Kid_ had earned him his name.

The group chatted along as they kept walking until sunset, a small camp was set up and everyone was getting ready to get some sleep when Takeshi called them to attention.  
“Ramirez, Adannaya and I will do this one on our own, the rest of you will stay here and take it easy. With the access to water being as restricted as it is the rest of you simply won't be able to withstand it without serious risk.”  
The others mumbled and nodded their acceptance of the plan, not only did they trust his tactical sense but the idea of pulling several all-day walks was not a tempting one, so they settled in and watched as two young men and a woman walked off into the night.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Mount McKinley, Alaska

“Eriksson, come here, I need you to help me get Daniels warmed up.”  
“What do you need me to do?”  
“Prepare bedding and get her out of these wet clothes.”  
They quickly pulled out all their reflective heat-blankets and dry clothes, towels and anything else that could be used for insulation.  
“Shani, get me an IV kit, a saline bag and a pair of MRE heaters.”  
“On it!”  
“Come on Emelie, hang in there sweetie.”  
Takeshi whispered in her ear as he quickly removed her clothes and made sure she was dry before placing her on the prepared airbed, inserting the IV and starting her on the fluids that were being heated by the MRE heat packs.  
The slight flicker of annoyance through her aura was a good sign, it showed that she was aware of what was going on.  
Once done he removed his own clothes and focused his reiki on increasing his core temperature while laying down next to her.  
Daniels was starting to become dangerously hypothermic and they needed to get her body temperature up, but they had no safe means of making a fire so they would have to share their heat with her, and skin to skin contact would make it more effective.  
With him on one side and Eriksson on the other side he ordered Ramirez to cover them with the thermal blankets, sleeping bags and clothes.  
“Everyone make sure you share warmth. We don't need more people getting chilled.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
The rest of the group quickly huddled up at the entrance to the small cave, both to conserve heat and to act as a makeshift door of sorts to keep some of what little heat they had from escaping.  
“Shani, warm up a unit of glucose and add it to the bag. And stand by to heat another bag of saline and a unit of glucose for when this one runs out.”  
“Yes Sir. And please, you get some rest too.”  
There was a knowing tone to her voice, Shani had some knowledge about mysticism and abilities beyond what most humans were capable or aware of, and was aware of what Takeshi was doing to increase his body heat.  
“I will Shani.”

Curling around Daniels he focused on listening to her heartbeats and breathing.  
“Come on sweetie, stay strong. I know you can do it.”  
He kept his voice low, but the look Eriksson gave him told him she had heard him anyway, but her only reaction was to shake her head with a crooked smile.  
For a long moment he just looked at her in the faint light then she gave him a slight nod and decidedly knowing smile.  
With a sigh of relief he pulled Daniels even closer against his chest and burrowed his face in her hair.  
“Please sweetie, don't leave us.”  
He knew he shouldn't, but over time he had grown to care deeply for several of the others, and Emelie Daniels was one of those, she had managed to worm her way into his heart with her brilliant mind and fiery temper.

Opening his eyes and and looking up slightly he found sky blue eyes watching him closely, Maria Eriksson had grown a lot since she arrived in Miami, she had been scared and broken and there had been several occasions where he had intervened to prevent her from killing herself.  
He had tried to get her to tell him why, but even when using his reiki to encourage her she had refused to talk about her past.  
But in time she had begun to mend, as she healed her true colors began to show, strength and courage ran deep in her.  
Now there was a hint of something sad in her eyes though and without thinking he reached out and brushed his thumb along her face with rewarded him with a sigh and a tiny smile as she closed her eyes and shifted closer to Daniels.

He felt the familiar surge of possessiveness with a hint of pride and allowed it to soothe him.  
He wasn't entirely sure where it came from, the ryujin told him it was him growing into his instincts, a sign he was maturing into a true adult.  
He felt a similar possessiveness toward Ramirez and Adannaya as well, but it was slightly different, it lacked the desire he felt toward Daniels and Eriksson.  
Living in close quarters with the others for so long had taught him a few things about himself, for one he was sexually attracted to both males and females, though he did seem to favor females, and he was polyamorous.

“Take?”  
He had been dozing off for about an hour when Daniels stirred and her voice pulled him back into wakefulness.  
“Feeling better sweetie?”  
“Don't you sweetie me!”  
The sharp blow to his kidney was a good indicator that she was indeed feeling better, but he gave her a thorough checkup before allowing her to get up and get dressed again.  
“I want you to take it easy and get extra fluids.”  
She nodded rather weakly.  
“Yes sir.”  
“The rest of you, I know you have squirrel away some beverage powders, snacks, desserts and spreads.”  
There were some mutters and nods from the group as they brought out the stashed items.  
“Now, this is **not** an order, but I would appreciate if you would share some with Daniels. She needs some quick energy that won't need heating.”  
It didn't take long before Hertz walked over with a small pile of items that had been given up by the others.  
“Much appreciated guys.”  
He handed Daniels the donated items along with a pack of lime drink mix and the nut mix from his own stash before nodding to Hertz who clearly had something on his mind..  
“Kiryu, I'm good and warm, I could take a few guys out and make a shelter so we can boil water. We don't know how long this storm will last and we will get pretty miserable with just the heat packs.”  
Takeshi considered Hertz's suggestion and after a while he nodded.  
“Short rotations, and make sure to not get wet, we don't need more people getting chilled.”  
“Yes Sir!”

The reason they were in their current predicament was equipment failure, they all carried their hydration packs close to their bodies to keep them from freezing.  
But when one of the anchors failed during their climb up one of the cliffs Daniels got slammed against the side rather roughly, causing the bladder in her hydration pack to rupture and soak her in the water she carried.

It didn't take long before Thompson came in with a container with steaming hot water and Takeshi quickly grabbed a packet of cocoa-drink powder and two packets of coffee and mixed them up into Daniels's canteen.  
“Here you go.”  
The way she lit up like a sun at the mix of re-hydrated cocoa-powder and instant coffee made the others tease and laugh and he allowed it for a while before scolding them to let her rest, seeing her enjoy such a simple thing was good for morale.

The storm raged on for two days but on the third day the weather broke and they were able to move around a bit more, secure water and make a more permanent structure at the entrance to the cave.  
They were supposed to stay up on the mountain for a full month, with resupply of cold weather rations once a week, but Takeshi was concerned about the weather, if there was a storm like the one that had just passed they would not receive their scheduled resupply.  
“Hertz, Adannaya, with me.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
“Thompson, keep them safe.”  
“Yes Sir!”

“So, what are we hunting?”  
Hertz and Adannaya didn't need him to tell them why they were heading out, the fact that he had picked the only two people other than himself with tracking and hunting experience was plenty enough.  
“Not really. We need more food, especially since a storm like the one we just had could delay the drops.”  
“Hunting anything in particular?”  
“Our elevation is not ideal, but this area has a lot of caves so we might be able to find a hibernating bear.”  
The disgusted sound that Adannaya made made him snicker.  
“I know predator meat isn't particularly palatable, but the fat and protein would be a welcome addition to our MCWs and a bear fur would make good bedding.”  
“Planning on having some luxury are you?”  
“Not for myself, no, but letting everyone take turns sleeping on a soft, warm, fur should help morale.”  
It was Takeshi's plan to allow the ones coming off sentry duty to sleep extra comfortably.  
Now it was Hertz and Adannaya doing the snickering, but they soon feel silent as they found moose tracks and it didn't take the trio long to find the source of the tracks and Takeshi signaled to Adannaya assigning her the target.  
He watched as she quickly readied her rifle, it was a short range shot so she didn't need a spotter, and with a steadying breath she took the shot and as usual it was a clean kill.  
Moments later Takeshi's radio came to life as the sentry had heard the shot.  
“All good. Give me Thompson.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
A few moments later Thompson's voice was heard.  
“Yes Sir?”  
“Ready a retrieval team to go out and retrieve a nice big moose for dinner.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
“And do make sure they don't damage the hide. We will take care of it when we return.”

They continued to look for any signs of bear dens, they only had a few hours of light though, days were short in the deep of winter.  
They did manage to locate a few promising spots, they would return over the next few days and hopefully be able to bag themselves a few bears.

The mood back at their camp was high, everyone was looking forward to the prospect of food that had not been re-hydrated, though they did give Takeshi and Adannaya some crooked looks when they shared a few raw slices of the moose heart.  
They didn't have much in the ways of cookware, just small pots for melting snow and boiling water so most of the meat was cut into strips, skewered and roasted, but any pieces too small roast was divided between the containers they had.

While looking for the bear dens they had found a few edible items to add to the scraps, lichen, wild berries, a few mushrooms hidden under the snow along with a few chaga and plenty of maybe less palatable items such as bark and needles.  
Adannaya's skill for finding edible items was amazing and Takeshi had learned a lot from her, even during the few hours of searching they had just done, she had managed to find starchy roots that Takeshi had no idea what they were, but she assured him they would be safe to eat, and his own reiki was telling him the same.  
Takeshi's own bounty was a small pile of juniper berries that he divided between himself and the others along with the other finds to make sure everyone could get a bit of flavor into the simple stew they created.

 

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Classified deep sea training facility

Takeshi could feel Eriksson's fear, the cold tendrils tearing at his own aura as he struggled to hold her still and making sure she didn't manage to damage her _Emergency Gas Supply_ as well.  
They were doing the final stage of their deep water training when part of the wreck they were exploring collapsed, damaging Eriksson's rebreather and pinning them both beneath some debris.  
He could feel her panic creeping in and it was pulling at him as well, being stuck underwater was not a pleasant feeling.  
Taking her hand he removed her glove and placed her hand against his own neck, tapping his chest he managed to relay that he wanted her to feel his pulse and tap it out on her own chest.  
Once she did he moved on to making her count her breathing, slowing her down, making her synchronize to him.  
The EGS didn't last long, and if she wasn't calm she would use it up even faster.  
A quick look at the gauges told him she had already used far too much of it so he carefully forced his body to slow down further, reducing his own needs, before taking his mouthpiece and giving it to her.  
He continued to count breaths with her, allowing her to take 4 breaths instead of the standard 2 breaths before taking it back and taking a single breath for himself, then allowing her 4 again.  
Thanks to his ability to force his metabolism down and buffer himself with reiki he could make do with a lot less oxygen than Eriksson could.

It took quite a while for the rest of the team to make it to them, the EGS tank would have been empty already if Takeshi hadn't been sharing with her.

Ramirez was working as fast has he could next to Takeshi's head, the tight space and the closeness to Takeshi's breathing gear made the work harder and after a while Takeshi signaled for him to focus on getting Eriksson free first.  
When Hertz came in with a new tank for Eriksson Takeshi signaled for him to keep back and not let her see it, keeping her focused on him and on counting their breaths while sharing his breather helped keeping her grounded and kept her from panicking.

Once she was free she was refusing to follow Hertz's instructions to leave, refusing to leave Takeshi behind until he took her hand and squeezed it, once he had her attention he gave her the signal to move out and she reluctantly obeyed.  
With the others heading to safety Takeshi and Ramirez focused on trying to make the debris shift so Takeshi could get free, but their options were limited as they couldn't use explosives.  
Frustrated with the limitations of signing Ramirez brought out a waterproof tablet and started writing.  
Reading the text Takeshi cursed silently to himself.  
They were unable to get the cutting equipment down to where he was, their only option was airbags, jacks and thermite which meant an agonizingly slow process.  
Takeshi took the tab and added a few points to the suggested plan before giving Ramirez the signal to go ahead.

Once everything was set up Takeshi ordered Ramirez to pull back, using the instability of the wreck as a cover, the truth was that Takeshi intended to call on Kiryu's flames to boost the thermite, it would leave him severely weakened, if it worked at all, but it might just be enough to get him free.  
With the triggers in hand he focused on the energies within and as he pushed the trigger for the thermite he could feel his reiki draining to feed Kiryu's youki, allowing the shadowfire to manifest.  
A moment later the debris began to shift and the trigger for the airbags activated and he kicked away hard, pushing toward the exit as fast as he could, chances were that the wreckage would collapse from the shifting of the debris.  
The moment he cleared the wreck he was surrounded by the others and he found himself tapping the back of Eriksson's shoulder in surrender to get her to let go of him and not further abuse his bruised ribs.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Boot Camp – GCTI Style_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

GCTI Miami headquarters

The training was finally over after three years of hell, out of those that had been forcefully recruited into the “Special Talents” training along with Takeshi unit only 11 remained and today they graduated into GCTI active service.  
Though, only 10 of them would go on to field teams, Thompson was one of the 11, but he had been badly injured in a traffic accident of all things and had suffered spinal damage that confined him to a wheelchair.  
But thanks to his tactical knowledge he had made it through, he would be assigned a position as coordinator and liaison to the various militaries and governments.  
Through no little work on Takeshi's side it had been decided that they were to continue as two 5 man units, one under Hertz and one under Takeshi and placed under the command of one of the more experienced units.  
And so began his work as a government sponsored assassin.

He didn't really mind the work, most of the targets would easily fall into the classification _scum of the earth_ and he never did have any qualms about killing, the problem was the amount of work they were given, they were barely out of debriefing before they were called in for their next mission-briefing.

He could handle the stress thanks to his ability to heal and rejuvenate his body using reiki along with his dreamscape training that allowed him to gain hours worth of mental rest in mere minutes of meditation, his team however were starting to bend under the pressure and if they were not able to get some proper rest soon they would break, with that in mind he set his aim for the coordinators office.

After a long negotiation session he had managed to talk the coordinator into giving his team a one week off-base leave, it wasn't much but at least it would let them get some proper sleep and food for once.  
Since none of the others had any nearby connections, Daniels, the only US citizen in the group apart from himself, was from Los Angeles and she had no connections there after her forced recruitment, it was decided that they would stay at the Miami beachfront mansion that Kasumi had built  
It would be nice to see her again and have a proper conversation, they had been separated far to much the past three and a half years for the dantai-bond to allow proper communication and he rarely had an opportunity to call her without their call being monitored by the GCTI.

 


	2. Knowledge is Power

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Knowledge is Power_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Kasumi Kiryu Miami estate

As the limousine passed the gates to the community Daniels could no longer contain herself.  
"Damn, Take! I heard your family was well off, but this? Just how frigging loaded are you guys?”.  
“Oh, this doesn't belong to the family, it's Kasumi's private estate where she goes whenever she feels like having some time to herself.”  
Takeshi replied with a smirk, he had never been much for bragging but her reaction was just too amusing to resist, even the ever levelheaded Adannaya was looking like a kid on Christmas.  
Though, after three and a half years cooped up in training and endless missions getting time off could unhinge anyone.

With half an ear he listened in on Ramirez and Eriksson debating what kind of security they might find in a place like this, a discussion that quickly drew in Daniels as well as they asked for her expertise in electronic and computerized systems.  
Of course those three would end up on that track, they did after all have similar backgrounds, Daniels was one of the world's most skilled hackers, Ramirez made his living as a top of the line safe-cracker and Eriksson was a highly skilled cat-burglar and pickpocket that could steal pretty much anything she was able to carry, she was also a highly skilled driver and car-thief.  
Apart from him that left Adannaya, a highly skilled tracker and hunter with a knowledge of natural remedies and toxins that surpassed even his own.

Passing another large gate he was finally _home_ and he allowed himself to relax a bit, he could sense guards hidden throughout the property, all of them familiar from the Kiryu main estate and it felt good to have someone else he could trust to detect any threats.  
The limousine had barely stopped before the door was ripped open and he was yanked out by the collar and brought into a crushing hug.  
“ **Takeshi!** Hisashiburi desu!”  
As always Kasumi reverted to Japanese when she got excited.  
“Oi! Easy! Long time no see Sumi-chan, but take it easy with your poor little Kage, are you _trying_ to kill me or something?”  
He carefully peeled himself out of the hug and placed her on the ground in front of him before continuing,  
“As much as I missed you as well I do prefer being able to breathe, not to mention I rather take this somewhere less open.”  
“Aw, Take-kun don't be like that, it's just a hug, or have you gone all weak in the past three years?”  
She jibed as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him along.  
He looked over his shoulder at his companions that were looking at the rather amusing scene before them.  
“Hey guys, I suggest you get moving and keep up 'cause once Sumi-chan gets moving nothing is going to stop her, don't worry about the bags the driver will take care of them”.

Soon after they all found themselves seated on a luxurious deck surrounding a large pool in an ridiculously large yard while a light supper was being served.  
Kasumi looked at her guests with her usual curiosity.  
“So, Takeshi, aren't you going to introduce your friends here?”  
With a deep sigh he went about the task of introducing his unit to Kasumi.

“The crazy looking redhead is Emelie Daniels, also known as the hacker D-Rex, there's no computer system she can't crack open.”  
He swiftly caught the bottle headed for his head.  
“As you can see she has a bit of a temper.”  
He added with a grin.

“Mr Hot Latino over there is Luis Ramirez, don't let him close to the safe or you might just find it empty.”  
Ramirez instantly voiced his objections to the introduction.  
“Hey Take, you hurt my feelings here, I would never rob such a beautiful lady!”  
Takeshi just shook his head and moved on to the next person.

“The blonde bombshell is Maria Eriksson, best damn thief I have ever seen, she even manages to pick **my** pockets every now and then.”  
A statement that brought out laughter.

“Miss Nairobi over there is Shani Adannaya, on top of shooting the wings of a fly she'll track a fish across the ocean and could probably cook up a hundred remedies and poisons on top of a decent dinner from whatever grows in that flower bed.”  
He nodded his head towards the small flowerbed next to the deck.

“Everyone, this is Kasumi, you better not piss her off cause if she can't kick your ass herself, she might just order me to do it, and unlike orders from the idiots at GCTI, I always follow hers.”  
To this Ramirez paled and nodded while the others laughed.

“So, you're brother and sister?”  
Takeshi had never really gone into detail about his family and his unit were curious and Ramirez ended up being the one to seek answers.  
“Well, no, but due to us being so close in age we were mostly raised as siblings, but legally I'm actually Kasumi's great uncle.”  
“How does that work when she's the older one?”  
“Luis! Come on! You are making us look bad here.”  
Daniels scolded Ramirez for the somewhat stupid question.  
“Her great grandparents adopted him silly.”  
Eriksson continued the friendly scolding by stating the obvious.

As the evening had turned into night the others had slipped off to the guestrooms leaving Takeshi and Kasumi silently contemplating each other in a small sitting-room, no words were spoken, but it was many years since they had any use for words.  
_“Take, how long do you intend to allow those idiots to order you around? How long do you intend to shirk your responsibilities and vows?”  
“Sumi, you know I can't leave without putting you and the entire family at risk, I need some more time to gather enough leverage to assure they won't dare act against us.”  
“Fine! But I won't stand for them keeping us apart much longer, you better make sure you get more leave from now on unless you want me to tag along for your missions.”  
“Hai, hai Sumi-chan, I'll do what I can.”  
“You better.”  
_

He sucked in a sharp breath when Kasumi leaned in and trailed a few nipping kisses along his neck.  
“Sumi, don't. Remember the addiction, it's too much of a risk.”  
“Take, you need it. I can feel it.”  
He cursed rather colorfully when she ignored him and began removing his clothes, but he didn't resist her, and his voice was soon silenced by her kiss.  
She was right though, he needed it desperately.  
It wasn't as desperate as it had been last time though, they both had more control this time, they both were able to numb out most of the bond, allowing them to explore each other the good old fashioned way.  
The bond was still there, guiding them, but it didn't overwhelm them as it had before.  
“Sumi, don't try to deepen the bond. It's too dangerous.”  
He felt a slight resistance from her but she stopped trying to deepen the bond.  
The deeper the bond was the higher the risk to her life and sanity was in case he got killed.

“Damn! Take! You got laid!”  
“Luis...”  
Takeshi's voice carried a hint of warning, but Ramirez completely ignored it.  
“You never told us you had **that** kind of relationship.”  
It didn't take long for the others to pick up on the change in Takeshi's mood, and join the teasing.  
“It is a Kage's duty to serve their master in **every** way.”  
Kasumi joined the teasing by confirming in a somewhat roundabout way that they had in fact had sex.  
The instant protective outrage at Kasumi's insinuation that it was something he was expected to do rather than something he did willingly had him breaking down into laughter.  
“You have a sick sense of humor lady.”  
Ramirez was clearly upset so Takeshi stepped in to diffuse the situation.  
“Easy there. What she is saying is indeed true, but Kasumi does not abuse that power, not in such a way at least.”  
The teasing quip made Kasumi harrumph at him.  
“I admit I am somewhat hesitant about such activities, but I'm not unwilling.”  
The confusion was quite obvious so Takeshi motioned for them to come with him and take a seat in the garden.  
Over the next hour he explained a bit about the dantai bond, about the risks it involved, and the dangers of the addiction.

One week unfortunately passed much to fast and they found themselves back in a non-stop schedule once again and as the months quickly passed by they marked their first year of service and moved into their second, but at least now he had managed to negotiate one solid week of leave every two months, leave that was spent either at Kasumi's Miami estate or the Kiryu Hawaii vacation home.

As time was getting close to Takeshi's 20 th  birthday arrangements were made to make sure he and the unit got leave for the occasion, there would be a big party at the Kiryu estate in Okinawa as he would be formally considered a full adult.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Knowledge is Power_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Kiryu estate, Okinawa Japan, Dec 17 2019

Takeshi sighed as he looked across the grand reception hall, there were well over a hundred guests, most of them wanted nothing more than for him to be expelled, or plain dead, but at least after this he would have no need to have anymore contact with them.

“Hey, Take, how much longer are we going to just sit around?”  
Daniels was the first to voice her boredom, not an unusual occurrence and he quickly replied before she could start nagging him.  
“A few more hours, the main presentation will be once the sun has fully set, when that's done we can get out of here. So just sit down and enjoy the food for now.”

Once the sun had fully set and lanterns had been lit throughout the place Daisuke and Misato joined Takeshi at the dais for the traditional speech before calling Hisao to approach.  
This was the moment Takeshi was waiting for, more precisely he was awaiting the contents of the bamboo box that Hisao was carrying on outstretched arms.  
He knew exactly what that long slender box contained and he was eagerly looking forward to the moment when the guests realized just what it contained.  
Of course they knew it contained a katana, but they did not know **what** katana it held.

Hisao knelt down and bowed his head before he spoke.  
“Kiryu Takeshi, although as one of the Kage you will never hold the title of heir, on this day you are still to receive the full responsibilities and remaining rights as an adult member and eldest son of the Kiryu house and as such it is my duty and honor to present you with your true blade.”  
He opened the box and raised it toward Takeshi.  
“It is now time for you to draw the blade that will guide your future!”

And so Takeshi reached for the blade, brought it from the box and freed the blade from its sheath before raising it high over his head.  
“Kiryu no Ryuken, I accept you as mine, now accept me, Takeshi of the Kiryu as yours!”  
With that he brought the edge of the blade against his left palm and let it cut deep enough to draw blood and paint the length of the blade in red, moments later the black flames of the demonic Ryujin engulfed the blade and burned of every trace of blood while leaving him unharmed.  
As Takeshi returned the blade to its sheath Hisao spoke up.  
“It is done, the blade that chose is now bound, until the day he dies Takeshi is the wielder of the Ryuken and as such he is second only to Head and Heir!”  
Taking a few steps to stand at Takeshi's side he gave a quick nod that it was once again his turn to speak.

But before Takeshi had a chance to say anything the room exploded into protests.  
“Impossible, he is Gaijin!”  
“There must be some kind of a trick!”  
“A Kage with a Ryuken, preposterous!”

Takeshi took another step forward and raised his voice to carry clear across the protests being voiced by the ones before him and spoke with an edge of ice in his tone.  
“ **SILENCE!** By the laws that govern the families sworn to the great ryujin you are beneath me, the wielder of one of the Ryuken. So know your place!”  
As the final words rang out with a pulse of his reiki and the youki of the ryujin the floor became a flurry of activity, the guests kneeling down into kowtow, foreheads touching the floor, satisfied with the display Takeshi turned to the members of his unit who had been seated at a small table behind him.  
“Well, guess we are done here, what do you say we hit town for some proper partying?”  
With eager nods they all joined him, Kasumi included and headed for the waiting limousine to take them down to Naha.

As they approached Naha they were met by a convoy of street racers and for a brief moment Takeshi sensed youki brush against him and it felt familiar, but before he could explore it it vanished, and when he reached out to find it he was met by shields.  
The shield were somehow gentle, not rejecting or aggressive, just somehow asking him not to look any deeper so he let them be, but he he did get a glimpse of a man with long hair driving a matte black Skyline.  
There was a brief sense of familiarity, but then it seemed to vanish, and moments later Takeshi had forgotten about the encounter, about the sense of familiarity.

Suddenly feeling Takeshi's reiki had almost made Hiroto crash his car, but he managed to focus and get his youki under control, praying that Takeshi wouldn't explore deeper as the elders would probably see the encounter as a violation of the terms as he was technically approaching Takeshi.  
He breathed a sigh of relief when the reiki pulled back, but the pain was nearly unbearable and his youma was raging within, demanding that they seek out the one they had chosen for mate.  
He did take some solace though in the fact that Takeshi looked happy, Kasumi was there as well as four humans Hiroto didn't recognize.  
Staying true to his promise to Takeshi he had headed out to race, he had been distracted though as all he really wanted was to watch Takeshi receive his blade in front of everyone.

“Damn, those were some seriously sweet rides!”  
Eriksson was bouncing around trying to catch another glimpse of the tricked out cars.  
She was mumbling to herself in Swedish which made everyone shake their heads and smile, she only did that when she was happy.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Knowledge is Power_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi had been considering where to take them for drinks, and in the end he decided that the main bar frequented by the local yakuza should be the better choice.  
At first they would receive some pretty bad reactions for being mainly _gaijin_ , outsiders, since Kasumi was the only one of them who was Japanese, Takeshi had the colors, especially if he suppressed his reiki so his eyes returned to gray, but he didn't have the build.  
However, once the yakuza realized they were Kiryu and guests of the Kiryu they would back off and turn to being extremely respectful as the Kiryu was one of the old families, and had close ties with the yakuza.

“Now, listen. At the place where we are going the patrons will be yakuza and they will be rude at first until they realize who Kasumi and I are and it's important that you ignore their rudeness. Stay close to Kasumi and me.”  
“What if they try to grope us or something like that?”  
“If you are groped, clock the guy who did it **once** with everything you got and call them out as _Chikan_.”  
The wide eyes at Takeshi's instructions made Kasumi snicker at the other women.  
“Luis, this is important. Whatever you do do **NOT** flirt with any of the women there, even if they approach you first. I will let you know if and when it's safe to do so.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
Ramirez responded without think and everyone broke down laughing.

As expected the establishment went dead silent when they entered and began walking toward an open table and soon they were called out, mostly be people telling Kasumi to lose the gaijin and come join them instead.  
Though all the females got some rather rude invites and Takeshi was glad the others didn't understand all the stuff being said.  
They were almost at their table when Takeshi felt Eriksson's aura spike with rage and a moment later the sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out along with a shriek calling out the guy who groped her as a Chikan, molester.  
He only glanced over his shoulder though, noting that the guy was flat on his back, and out cold, he would have to praise her on that one later.  
As expected the fact that she had dealt with the punk swiftly and effectively but in a seemingly calm manner had earned her quite a bit of respect.

Takeshi ordered a bottle high class saké suitable to be served warmed along with a selection of snacks ranging from salted cabbage and various pickles to fermented cuttlefish guts for their table.  
“Take, what is that stuff?”  
Daniels was giving the small bowl with Shiokara a rather suspicious glare.  
“It's Ika no Shiokara, salted and fermented cuttlefish pieces in viscera.”  
“I think I'll pass...”  
“Oh, that sounds a bit like surströmming. I wanna try it.”  
Eriksson immediately wanted to try the somewhat unique snack so Takeshi took one of the small bowls and put a bit of rice in it and topped it with some shiokara.  
After checking that the saké was the proper temperature Takeshi filled everyone's cups before letting Kasumi fill his own.  
“Kanpai!”  
Everyone quickly drained their cups, though the reactions were a bit mixed to both the saké and the snacks.

“Oh, this stuff is really good!”  
The look that Daniels gave Eriksson was priceless, and she was more than happy to share the glare with Adannaya as she tasted a piece of the seemingly unappetizing snack as well.  
“Not too bad, but I think I will stick to something else.”  
“Good, means there's more left for me!”  
Eriksson was more than happy to receive her own bowl of shiokara along with a few other items.

As Takeshi suspected it didn't take long before one of the local patrons started trouble by approaching Kasumi and placing his hand on her shoulder.  
Takeshi's reaction was instant, drawing the ryuken and using the side of the blade to slap the hand away before placing the edge against the vulnerable throat.  
“You believe yourself worthy to be considered for Mukoyōshi to the Kiryu?”  
The young man instantly blanched and dropped to his knees, apologizing in kowtow which triggered a frantic activity in the small bar.  
  
“What is he saying?”  
Eriksson whispered her question to Kasumi.  
“He asked if this punk believed himself worthy to become Mukoyōshi to the Kiryu family.”  
“And what does this muko thing mean?”  
“An adopted son-in-law. The council have decided against naming me a true heir. So any man I marry will be formally adopted and made heir, then head.”  
“Damn, that sucks. But, shouldn't Take be heir?”  
“Yes, he should, but they made him Kage instead in an attempt to gain control over the Kiryu assets.”

Their conversation was interrupted when one of the men stepped up to their table and kneeled down on the tatami next to it before removing his jacket and shirt, revealing the intricate irezumi work on his upper body before placing his hands in front of him and bowing down until his forehead touched the tatami.  
Kasumi waited a while as if contemplating if she would accept his apology before instructing him to raise and telling him that their transgressions were forgiven, this time, warning him to not repeat the mistake.

Takeshi could feel Eriksson tense up when the man that had groped her approached and kneeled down next to her seat and repeated the same ritual of removing the clothes from his upper body and kneeling down fully.  
“He is asking forgiveness for having dishonored himself, and you, by touching you without permission. And he is offering to pay penance by serving you tonight.”  
“And what does that mean?”  
“He will guard you, with his life if needed, and he will see to that your drinks and snacks don't run out, see to any task you see fit to give him. If you accept that is, it's your right to refuse him.”  
“Can you tell if he means it, or if it's just for for appearance?”  
“He means it, he would not have revealed his tattoo if he wasn't serious about it. To do so would mean dishonoring the _Oyabun_ and require _Yubitsume_ to repent. If you refuse his apology, his repentance, that may become the case as well.”  
At her puzzled expression he quickly explained that oyabun was the leader of the yakuza group and that yubitsume was the ritual penance by cutting off part of a finger.  
When she discreetly made the hand signal asking for further instructions, silently asking him if she should accept or not, he responded with the _Go_ signal.

“Do you speak English?”  
“Yes, _Aneki_ , but not very well.”  
Takeshi quickly leaned in and explained to her that being called Aneki, or Big Sister, was a sign of respect, it was how they addressed a woman of higher rank.  
“Take, would you translate please so there can be no misunderstandings?”  
Eriksson was clearly up to something so he nodded.  
“I will accept your apology, and you penance, on one condition.”  
“Please, state your condition Aneki.”  
“You will devote everything you are able to into being a champion for the honor and dignity of all females.”  
Takeshi's pride surged with her demand, her choice of words showed that she had been paying attention, and understood quite a bit about Japanese culture, and the value of an oath.  
There was no hesitation as the young man placed his vow.

“Sumire-aneki, would you like more water?”  
“Yes please, and please explain why you are calling me Sumire, what does it mean?”  
“The flower, _Sumire_ , in _Hanakotoba,_ the language of flowers, it means honesty.”  
He indicated toward the jewelry she was wearing, a matching set of earrings, bracelet, brooch and necklace crafted with tiny enamel flowers in the form of the _Viola tricolor.  
_ “Oh, I see. We call them _Styvmorsviol_ , Stepmother's violet. It's the floral emblem of my native region.”  
Takeshi added a quick translation as Sato looked somewhat confused.  
“Kiryu no Kage-sama, will you translate my request for Sumire-aneki?”  
Takeshi just nodded and listened to what Sato wanted to ask Eriksson.  
“Sato would like your permission to add a few of your flowers to his irezumi work to commemorate his oath.”  
She looked rather surprised for a moment then she nodded.  
“If you feel that is appropriate then go ahead and do so.”  
“Thank you Sumire-aneki.”

By the time they started to head back toward the Kiryu home the sun was rising and they were all quite drunk, even Takeshi was somewhat intoxicated.  
It didn't take long before Kasumi demanded attention by trailing teasing kisses along his neck, which made the others snicker and tease.  
“Oh man, I'm seriously getting jealous here.”  
Ramirez complaint made the others laugh, but then then fell silent as Adannaya turned things on their end with a teasing question.  
“Of him, or her?”  
There was a moment of hesitant silence.  
“Do I _**have**_ to pick one?”  
The way Ramirez managed to sound like a whining child broke the tense moment and everyone agreed he didn't have to choose, though they pestered him to explain why he would be envious of Kasumi.  
“Come on guys. I may be straight, but I can still recognize that Take is one hot dude. And having someone that's not just hot, but strong, and powerful, at your beck and call like that. Damn...”  
Acting on a whim Takeshi darter out of his seat and pounced on Ramirez, grabbing his head tightly he leaned in and gave him a proper smooch.  
The garbled stutters that followed quickly had everyone laughing, and Takeshi took advantage of the distraction to give Daniels the same treatment before setting his sight on Eriksson.  
Eriksson was ready for him though and grabbed his face and stole a kiss with a laugh before he had a chance to do the same to her.  
Adannaya raised a finger in warning though and he settled for giving her a soft peck at the corner of her mouth which she returned in kind.

Leaning back to watch the fallout of his actions Takeshi found himself contemplating the flavor of Eriksson's kiss, there was something about it that made him want to get another taste.  
_“My my, which of them has you in this mood?”_  
Kasumi's voice over the bond was teasing and curious.  
_“Maria... The taste of her... I want more...”  
“Do you love her?”_  
The teasing quality vanished and the tone turned serious, though still curious.  
_“I... I haven't allowed myself to even contemplate such things.”  
“You should. Remember what Mizuki-sama said about your heart being the key to your power.”_  
Takeshi sighed as she reminded him of Mizuki's lessons.  
_“Fine, I will...”  
“That's a good boy.”_  
The last teasing quip made him grab Kasumi and tickle her until she was crying with laughter and alternating begging him to stop with various threats.

It felt good to be back home, to feel safe, and be able to relax, but alas, good things rarely last.  
Two days later they found themselves back at the GCTI headquarters in Miami, this time in one of the small conference-rooms as they were informed that their unit was to be separated from the larger unit they had been working under and would from now on be an independent unit led by Takeshi and under the direct command of the GCTI directorate.  
_Finally I can start acting more freely._  
Takeshi's thoughts were focused on the freedom the change would allow him, while the others were focused on congratulating him on his promotion to sergeant.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Knowledge is Power_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Classified location, Pakistani mountains, June 2021

Takeshi took a sip from his canteen before turning his attention back to the mountain road leading into the small village below, his unit had been watching this place for the past three weeks now and he was getting bored.  
So far they had counted over 100 armed men and 17 large weapons and equipment deliveries but still their orders remained, _Stay, Watch, Update_ and his patience was wearing thin, he wished they would just give the order to attack already.

A small tingle of electricity against the skin behind his right ear alerted him of an incoming communication, _as much as he hated the com-implant he had to admit it had its uses_ , he activated the device and was greeted by the voice of Daniels.  
“Take, we got an update, Shani spotted a group of large vehicles coming up towards the east passage, ETA two hours. It has a big escort so this might be what we are looking for, also they are too large for the passage so they will have to move the cargo out of the vehicles to get it to the village. Might be a good time to get a look at what they are bringing in.”  
He paused for a moment to evaluate the new information before opening a channel to the rest of the unit.  
“Okay guys, the new transport has priority, move to the base of the east passage but be careful, we still have two hours so no need to rush things.”  
The others quickly gave their confirmation before the link went dead again and he began moving toward the location.

Two hours later the unit was spread around the small plateau that served as a loading ground for transports coming up the east entrance to the small village, the final approach was a rather narrow road meaning most transports had to be reloaded to ox-carts for the last bit.  
The large covered trucks had finally come to a stop on the flattened dirt and a flurry of activity started as a group of men started unloading them to the waiting carts.  
Takeshi was taking notes of the contents he could see being loaded, mostly electronics and computer parts with a few smaller firearms mixed in when the com-implant came alive with an emergency transmission from Ramirez.  
“Rad Casks! Please confirm. I have multiple class A Rad Casks being unloaded on the south side”.  
He immediately turned his attention to the south side of the plateau and could confirm Ramirez report, several _Radiation Casks_ , specialized containers used for transporting high grade radioactive materials, were being moved from the truck and as one of them was swung around while being placed on a cart he caught a glimpse of the labeling sporting a bold, red, A, meaning the materials inside was weapons-grade.

Takeshi cursed to himself, this was not good, based on previous deliveries to the village he couldn't afford to wait for further orders, not that he really cared about orders anyway, chances were that they had missiles standing by to be fitted with nuclear warheads, a task that could be completed within hours if the technicians knew what they were doing and he wouldn't be able to get a mission update in time.  
Putting the com to a general call he quickly gave orders to initiate one of the attack-plans he had prepared, it was a variation of their standard attack plan that basically meant that Adannaya gave long range cover while Daniels, Ramirez and Eriksson created as much chaos and diversion as they could manage and he went in on his own and took out the targets.

Of course the others were fully capable as well but he had made up his mind when taking command of the unit that he would take the blood on his own hands and keep the others as clean as he could manage, apart from him Adannaya was the only one who had ever killed someone prior to their recruitment, and even then it had been purely self-defense in her case.  
He on the other hand had the blood of many on his hand, some killed in self-defense, some in defense of Kasumi and yet some in cold blood.

Less than an hour later the _terrorist_ presence in the village and its surrounding area had been eliminated and all that remained was to guard the Rad Casks until a nuclear retrieval unit arrived, but hopefully one of the regular GCTI-units would be sent in to relieve them now that the enemy combatants had been cleared out.  
As predicted it took less than three hours before a Hercules plane and its escort came into view, dropping of 40 standard paratroopers to guard the site and a tech-unit to check the casks and prepare them for transport, the coordinator informed them that a sky-crane was being diverted to collect the casks in a few days, they were also informed that a Black Hawk had been dispatched from a carrier in the Arabian Sea to pick them up.  
If the GTCI went through all of that trouble rather than have them go home with the rest of the troops there had to be another mission lined up for them, and here he had been hoping for a breather.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Knowledge is Power_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

GCTI _Liberty_ , Arabian Sea

After a seven hour flight they finally landed on the _Liberty_ , a recommissioned US super-carrier under GCTI command and the current base of operations in the area.  
They were immediately escorted to a meeting room for debriefing and to receive their new orders, the mission this time was a VIP escort that had specifically requested their unit for the job.  
This made Takeshi curious, not many knew of the existence of his unit and for them to be assigned escort duty by request whoever the VIP was it had to be a pretty big fish.

“Aw crap, not a VIP babysit, look at this briefing, they expect us to dress to _Black Tie_ for crying out loud! And look at the locations, we are gonna get cooked!”  
Ramirez was the first to voice his opinion of the assignment but he was quickly shut down by the rest of the unit as the female members rejoiced at the chance to go shopping for formal-wear on GCTI's bill.  
Takeshi couldn't resist a big smirk at the thought of letting loose the “ladies” at the Kiryu family tailor followed by a visit to the jeweler, the GCTI would want his head when they spotted the bill but since they had given him free hands when it came to equipment for his unit they would have to pay and this time he would make the most of it.  
A quick chat with the coordinator and they were on a flight to Japan to _acquire the required equipment_ also known as an insane shopping-spree in one of the most exclusive shopping districts in the world.

 

Tokyo, Japan

When they landed in Tokyo a black limousine was waiting to take them to a classy hotel in the Ginza shopping district and after showing everyone their rooms Takeshi brought them to a small restaurant and pub off the main street to relax and make some plans for their shopping.  
They had barely found their seats before a tiny old woman came barreling toward their booth  
_“Takeshi-san! It's really you! Where have you been all these years?”_  
_“Sasaki-Ob_ _āsan, lively as always.”  
_ He greeted her in Japanese before continuing in English  
“But if you don't mind, my friends here fail to grasp the finer points of the Japanese language so could we please stick to English?”  
“Sure, sure Takeshi-san, where is Kasumi-sama? And who are these lovely ladies you got here?”  
As always old lady Sasaki fired of her 20-questions routine and as always he ignored them in favor of ordering food.  
“Sasaki-Obāsan, just get us whatever you got plenty of and some nice saké please.”

A few minutes later bowls of steamed rice was brought out along with several trays containing a wide variety of sashimi and sushi.  
Several pitchers of ice cold water was also placed on the table, one of them held slices of lemon, another cucumber slices and one held strawberries, there was also two pitchers of plain water. About ten minutes later small bowls with various hot side-dishes was brought out to the table along with a bottle of saké.  
The others were looking rather wide-eyed at the selection but he was rather used to it, this was after all one of Kasumi's favorite places so he had eaten here many times before.

Once Takeshi had his fill he went over the plans for their stay with the others,  
“Tonight we will eat, drink and rest, tomorrow I will take you to a tailor that does a lot of work for the Kiryu family to have tuxedo and formal dresses made for the lot of you”  
As expected Ramirez once again voiced his objections to the idea of formal-wear  
“Hell no Take, don't even consider slipping this one!”  
Takeshi voiced a chuckle as he gave Ramirez a placating wave.  
“Don't worry Luis, I'm getting a new one as well, my old ones won't fit me anymore, it's been seven years since I last wore formal-wear after all”.  
His words didn't stop Ramirez from glaring at him though.  
“But enough about that, the next stop will be a jeweler to have suitable accessories made, some of these will also act as backup weapons and communication-devices. So D, I need you to take apart a few of the spare coms and cut away any unnecessary bulk to make them easier to incorporate into jewelry”  
Daniels nodded and he could tell she was already making plans and designs, she always did have a love for customizing equipment.  
“Once that is done we will head to Hokkaido to acquire some additional weapons. I know a weaponsmith there who specializes in hidden weapons.”

 

The following day the group found themselves at a small tailor store getting their measurements taken, looking through dress designs and selecting colors. _  
“Kiryu-sama, all white is really not appropriate for a black-tie event, you know this perfectly well.”  
_ The old tailor was once again lecturing him on his choice of colors.  
_“I am perfectly aware of that, but nevertheless I will be wearing all white.”  
_ To this the tailor merely shook his head and tutted and moments later Eriksson came up behind him and tapped his elbow.  
“What was that about Take?”  
“Oh, just the master tailor objecting to my lack of decorum as I insist on an all white tuxedo.”  
He replied with a crooked smile.  
As they left Takeshi stopped for a moment to talk to the master tailor.  
_“With the allotted time, is it possible to have the garments made from Kumo-silk?”  
_ The old tailor scratched his chin as he considered the question before nodding.  
_“It is, but it will be close, it will be very expensive, and it will upset some other customers as I will have to use my current stock as well, but for you, I will make it happen.”_  
Takeshi nodded and thanked the old man before joining the others outside the store.  
Kumo-silk was, just as the name indicated, a fabric made from spider-silk, the technique was new and it was still hard to make any quantities of the fabric but the properties of the silk made it ideal for this, it was lightweight and stronger than Kevlar, in the hands of a skilled artisan it could be processed to mimic almost any fabric.

Later that night Daniels was brought out of her tinkering by a sharp knock on the hotel-room door and she knew that knock anywhere.  
“Just come in Take, kind of have my hands full at the moment”  
The door opened and closed silently and as always she could not make out the sound of his footsteps, unless he wanted her to of course.  
She watched in the corner of her eye as he walked over and dropped into the Lazy Boy style recliner next to the small table that she had turned into a work-space.

Takeshi watched Daniels work for a while before cutting down to business.  
“D, are you done modifying the equipment?”  
Instead of answering she merely used the soldering iron to point towards a paper box at the side of the table, upon closer inspection said box contained a wide selection of stripped down equipment.  
“Excellent, this should do just fine.”  
He waited for her to complete the soldering she was working on before moving on to the next point of the agenda.  
“Have you been able to obtain any more information on that _special project_ of mine?”  
He asked and Daniels looked up with a sigh before reaching for a small tablet-computer and handing it to him.  
“Everything I got is on here, there are still a few directories on the mainframe I haven't been able to access but I'm working on it, also it seems a large section of data is kept on hard-copy only, and that would be more of Luis's or Maria's area of expertise.”  
He quickly flipped through a few of the files to determine the usefulness of the information, as always it was good stuff.  
“Good work as always, _sweetie_ , just a little more and I have the information I need to keep those GCTI bastards away from Kasumi.”  
Daniels just shook her head silently, she knew, they all knew, as soon as Takeshi was able to make sure that the GCTI could not touch Kasumi or the Kiryu family he would leave them, and heads would roll.  
She had occasionally heard him going through his “hit list” and it might just as well have been _'Who is who: A guide to GCTI brass'_.  
She startled when she felt his hands on her shoulders, again she had not noticed him move.  
“Don't worry _sweetie_ , I intend to get you guys clear of the GCTI before I do anything more, _drastic_.”  
And with that he left her room, presumably returning to his own and as always his touch left a lingering sensation, like lightning running across her skin  
_Dammit all, she was NOT falling for him, not possible, she couldn't, she wouldn't.  
She already had...  
_

Takeshi sat atop the hotel roof overlooking the Ginza nightlife while going through the information on the tablet, cursing to himself as it still was not enough to ensure a safe execution of his plans, he would have to wait longer still, and from the look of things he would have to put even more risk on the team to acquire the hard-copies Daniels mentioned.  
But in the end it would be worth it if it meant he could take down the GCTI once and for all. Pocketing the small tablet he returned down to his room, they would have an early morning the next day.

One week later they had ordered everything they needed and now all that remained was for them to be completed, they would have to return a few times to the tailor and jeweler to make sure everything was a perfect fit.  
Three weeks remained before they were to begin the assignment and Takeshi spent the time making sure the teams hand-to-hand combat was up to date, and also giving them some extra lessons in using the hidden weapons that they would be using as backup weapons.

All spare time was spent researching the VIP they would be guarding the next six months, his name was Gerard Roberts, being _old money_ as sole heir to a massive fortune and an accomplished player on the stock-market made him a major player, he was one of the biggest financial backers of the GCTI and the biggest non-government contributor.  
As such he had access to a lot of information meaning that this assignment might turn out to be most fortuitous.  
The main issue would be getting close enough to get hold of that information, but based on what they had found out about Roberts they might have an easy way in, however it was one Takeshi did not want to use.  
Roberts had a reputation as a _ladies man_ and was said to have a preference for big chested blondes, this suited Eriksson perfect, and she was the best at getting information the good old way, but there was a backside to all of it, as much as Roberts was known as a ladies man there was less than pleasing rumors in the shadows, rumors of women matching his preferences, especially young ones, vanishing wherever he had been.  
These rumors of course never made it into the light of media or law-enforcement but there was traces of it in the GCTI files they had received to ensure they knew everything needed to properly do their jobs.

One month after their arrival in Tokyo they had everything they needed, including a bit of a vacation and the limousine took them back to the airport where a small plane was waiting to take them back to the _Liberty_ where they would meet up with their VIP to begin their 6 month babysitting assignment, but to Takeshi this assignment was much more, it was a chance to finally break free of the GCTI.

 


	3. Beneath the Surface

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Beneath the Surface_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, August 2021

The hall fell silent as a group of six entered the stage, the middle aged man in the group approached the microphone stand and the remaining five took up positions around him forming a circle.  
The presence of the masked and obviously armed group did cause a bit of a stir but it was quickly forgotten as the speaker was announced.  
The speech was the main event of a three-day fundraiser event aimed to alleviate humanitarian disasters in certain areas, areas known to be breeding grounds for discontent and ultimately ideal areas for recruiting impressionable and desperate youths for various terrorist organizations.  
The idea was to put large aid-efforts into these areas to cut away the access to easy recruits.

The speech was a great success and on a large electric board numbers were flying by, showing of the donations as they came in all accompanied by a deafening roar of cheers and applause.  
Roberts thanked the crowd with a slight bow before signaling his escorts that they were leaving, as they approached the smaller theater where a small event was to be held for select members of the press Takeshi gave a short order over the com before detaching from the group and vanishing into the darkness behind a hidden door.  
A narrow flight of stairs took him to a low crawl space with access-panels leading to the catwalks that formed a grid pattern high above the scene and seats.  
After removing his blade Takeshi took a seat at the edge of one of the walkways and placed the weapon across his lap before entering a shallow state of meditation, the meditative state allowed him to enhance and focus his senses far above what was considered humanly possible.  
Closing his eyes he counted his breaths and heartbeats and slowly their sounds faded from his awareness allowing him to focus fully on the room below and the sounds from his team and Roberts.  
Once he had a solid fix on them he slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath before tapping the com twice, the signal that he was ready and for the team to open the doors and start letting the guests in.

High profile journalists, columnists and other big names in various media filed in one by one, as each one entered they were subjected to a electronics scan by Daniels before being thoroughly patted down by Eriksson.  
Takeshi watched as each one entered, looking, and _feeling_ for anything suspicious and as yet another high profile journalist entered he allowed part of his mind to wander into memories, memories of all the times he had secured a room this way for Kasumi, he missed those times, it was simpler when Kasumi was his only concern, now he had an entire team to watch out for while trying to find a way to prevent the GCTI from being able to target the Kiryu and most of all, prevent them from ever touching Kasumi.  
A scent from below caught his attention and brought him out of his thoughts, a young woman representing the international news magazine _Watchers_ was going through the electronics scan, but as Eriksson stepped up to search her Takeshi dropped down from the catwalk with a sharp order.

“Blue, Stop!”  
It felt odd to be using code-names, but those had been their orders.  
His team instantly took defensive positions, at edge, not knowing just what about the woman had set him of.  
“Amber?”  
Eriksson's voice held a slight nervous tinge as she held perfectly still while trying to establish eye-contact.  
“Step back from her, her skin and clothes are covered in poison.”  
As soon as the words left his lips the woman's face contorted into rage and she charged towards him, her hands reaching for his neck and face to try to tear away the cloth and mask but before she could touch him she found herself with her back trapped against his chest and held by impossibly strong arms.  
As she desperately tried to grab for any exposed skin Takeshi pulled her tight against his chest with one arm while using his other hand to secure her neck and head.  
As soon as he touched her neck she started laughing  
“Ha, fool, enjoy your swift death!”.  
“Sorry to break it to you _missy_ , but just like you I am immune to the poison you have been covered with, so stop struggling before I snap this little neck of yours!”  
As she realized her captor was not dropping dead as expected she went limp in his arms.  
“Brown, get a hazmat unit over here and make sure no one touches her without B-level suits.”  
Ramirez nodded and set out to  
“And you _Ms LaBelle_ will sit down over here and not move if you want to keep that pretty head of yours attached.”

While they waited for the hazmat unit to arrive they checked the remaining guests who were all cleared apart from a few hidden recording devices which were confiscated but the reporters were allowed in anyway.  
Once the hazmat arrived Takeshi stepped up to have Ms LaBelle taken into custody.  
“Be careful, the poison contains several derivatives of tetrodotoxin and quite potent. Make sure to scrub her thoroughly, check under her fingernails and make sure to brush her teeth and check her for false teeth, skin pouches and similar techniques.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
Takeshi had a feeling they wouldn't be able to hold on to her for very long though, he could sense demonic energy from her and there was a fair chance that her body produced the deadly toxin on its own.

No further incidents disturbed the event and the group retreated to their transportation, an extended Conquest Knight XV with Eriksson taking the wheel, Daniels and Adannaya joined Roberts in the passenger compartment while Takeshi and Ramirez mounted the two high power motorcycles complete with state of the art armored fairing.  
VIP babysitting did bring some nice benefits when it came to _toys_ and Takeshi had made sure to take maximum advantage of it once he had secured a deal that the unit could keep whatever materials and equipment that remained once the mission was over.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Beneath the Surface_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Once they arrived at their hotel a private elevator took them from the secure garage up to the reserved VIP floor where yet another event awaited them, this time a very private one with the top brass of GCTI, a long list of names from the fortune 500, heavy political backers as well as a number of more _shady_ elements from the world's underground markets.

As they entered Takeshi instantly realized _this_ was what he had been looking for, finally he had somewhere solid to focus his attentions.  
A quick tap on the com opened a channel to the others.  
“Listen up, I will be initializing an information sweep for my _special project_. I need names, faces, prints and DNA if you can get it, priority is anyone not on the list of official backers, keep in mind, this is personal and NOT an order, are you with me?”  
As suspected they all nodded their agreement.  
Switching the com to a private link he turned his attention toward Eriksson.  
“Are you sure you are okay with the plan? You know the intel we dug up on that bastard.”  
She gave him a short nod but he could feel a taint of fear in her aura, but it was quickly overpowered by determination.  
“I know Take, if it's what it takes to take them down I'll gladly do it a hundred times over, besides I know you, there is no way you would let it get **that** far.”  
“Okay, but be careful _sweetie_ , even I can't be at two places as the same time and I will not have you getting injured, or _worse, '_ cause of me.”

Following Kasumi's words from the evening of his birthday Takeshi had begun to truly examine his feelings for Eriksson and had soon been forced to admit, at least to himself, that he loved her deeply.  
And now his quest put her in great danger.

While researching Gerard Roberts, looking for anything that could be a weakness, they found that not only was he connected to every major underground organization and market, ranging from weapons to drugs and human trafficking, he had a _type_ , tall, blonde with blue eyes and well _shaped_.  
Wherever he went there were cases of women, mostly younger women and teens, matching his _type,_ disappearing only to be found weeks, sometimes months, later, beaten, raped, tortured and mutilated, of course there was never anything tying the cases to him.  
Eriksson matched his type perfectly and he had put the moves on her from day one but this plan was risky, her being a part of his guard detail would probably not stop him from doing his _thing_ if he got a chance, hell, with the underground backing he was pulling in for GCTI they might just _give_ her to him.

Checking the crowd Takeshi was relieved to find there were no representatives for the yakuza there, the last thing he wanted was to have to go up against the old and powerful families who supported the traditional ways of the Kiryu.  
But he did spot a few high ranking Japanese businessmen, businessmen who did business with the Kiryu, he would have to contact Kasumi and make sure she cut all ties with them, when he took GCTI down the Kiryu needed to be clean.

Hearing Roberts laughing Takeshi turned his attention to the vile excuse of a human being and the way he leered at Eriksson made Takeshi's protective instincts burn with a frightening intensity.  
By the time he managed to lock down his reaction the tips of his fingers were already touching the Harigata Bo-Shuriken hidden in the cuff at his wrist.  
He was itching for a chance to kill Roberts, never before had he wanted to kill someone the way he wanted to kill that bastard, but unfortunately their current assignment was his best chance at bringing down the corrupt GCTI.  
The group Roberts was talking to was the leaders of a notorious human trafficking network who specialized in _acquiring and training_ females, mostly young girls, for their wealthy and depraved, clients.  
Which meant buying or kidnapping girls, often killing their families so no one would miss them or recognize them, and breaking them with a combination of torture and drugs before training them to be obedient slaves.

His attention was drawn away again as footsteps approached him from behind and a he picked up a conversation in Japanese.  
_“Hmph, a gaijin soldier playing with katana. That Doufaran truly has no sense for propriety.”  
_ The words became too much for Takeshi, he didn't care if they called him gaijin, but he couldn't stand them speaking ill of the old smith.  
_“I may not be born Japanese, but have earned my blades through the shinobi trials, I lived through the trial of the Irezumi Dokuso.”_  
Takeshi's tone was sharp and the fact that he spoke a highly formal version of older Japanese without any trace of an accent seemed to startle them a bit and they backed away with a glare.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Beneath the Surface_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

After a long night the team was happy to retreat to their suite for some rest, though with Eriksson not joining them they were all worried and in the end it was agreed that while the others rested Takeshi would stay close to the secure suite that housed Roberts in case Eriksson needed backup.

Takeshi took a seat outside the suite and entered his usual _surveillance-mode_ , a meditative state that allowed him to filter out his own presence and enhance his senses as well as increasing his reflexes.  
Once the sound of his own heartbeat had faded he focused on the two heartbeats in the suite behind him, listening for the unique patterns that would tell him which one was Eriksson, once he had a lock on her he allowed his mind to drift.  
Slowly he began to pick apart the information that had been gathered during the nights events, mentally filing away faces, matching them with names and hopefully the others would have prints and maybe even some DNA to go with them.  
Half way through _filing_ he felt the familiar pull from deep within, the pull from _dreamscape,_ apparently **she** had something to say.

 

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

“ _ **You worry, child. For the girl, and yet you allow her to take such risks?”  
**__The great Ryujin towered him within the dreamscape and her voice thundered, pressuring his very mind with it's dark presence.  
“It's been a while now since I was considered a child, even by you, so why now?”  
He questioned her while watching her body slowly becoming smaller, her presence and voice less daunting.  
“_ _ **You are questioning yourself, your path, your choices. You have not done that for many years now.**_ _”  
Now the size of a small dog the dragon crawled into his lap and rested her head on his knee. With a weary note to his voice he put his worries into words,  
“She is in there playing _ nice _with that sadistic savage because of my mistakes in Miami, because_ _ **I**_ _need information to undo the threat to Kasumi and the Kiryu that_ _ **I**_ _created”.  
“_ _ **Enough, you are not thinking clearly Kage, the GCTI had already recruited them, had you not been there they might not have made it through training, and the one you worry for now, how many times did you save her life during training? How many times did you save all of them? From perishing to the heat of Death Valley, from being smashed against the frozen cliffs of a remote mountain in Alaska or being crushed by the dark cold depths of the Abyss.”  
**__“Any of those deaths would be preferred a hundred times over to the things that_ thing _in there would do to her if he believes he can get away with it.”  
He snapped back with aggravation lacing his voice.  
“_ _ **Easy, mind your breathing, mind you soul lest you lose awareness of the happenings within that room.**_ _”  
She watched him as he struggled to regain his calm before she spoke again.  
“_ _ **If I was to enter her dreams and ask her, would she truly choose an easy death never having known you over whatever horrors that one would bring her?**_ _”  
Moments stretched in silence before he replied with a sigh.  
“No, she wouldn't, none of them would.”  
__**“Takeshi, you might have been sacrificed to the shadows but you are a natural leader, you were born for this kind of life, I have tasted the potential within your heart, it is why I choose you in the first place.”**_ _  
For once the dragon's voice held none of its usual teasing tone.  
__**“You care for them, nearly as much as you do for Kasumi, more than you do for any other than her. I know where your thoughts have been wandering and you are not wrong, the fools who believe they can control me would condemn you eternally for such an action, to teach our secrets to**_ **outsiders** _ **, to the**_ **unworthy** _ **, but I give my blessing. Do what you are considering, they are all worthy.”  
**__She knew, of course she knew, what had he been thinking?  
Had he really allowed this to mess with him so badly?  
Slowly he bowed his head.  
“Thank you Ryujin-sama, thank you for opening my eyes to the path as I was lost, thank you for giving your blessing to proceed with my intentions. Thank you for being here when needed even though I had not realized...”  
__**“Sleep Takeshi, let your mind and body get the rest you need, I will watch over your body as well as your charge inside the room.”  
**__As the last words faded from the dreamscape Takeshi slipped into the blissful darkness of a deep dreamless sleep._  
“I will protect the ones you love.”  
He didn't hear the last words, whispered softly into the darkness as the dragon faded into nothingness.

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

 

 

Takeshi woke to the soft footsteps of a young woman wearing the hotel uniform, no doubt there to wake up some of the VIP guests, and he swiftly got up and returned to the suite his unit shared before she noticed him.  
As he stepped into the room he found Ramirez, Adannaya and Daniels with their heads together over the large table in the middle of the room, the surface covered with an assortment of printed pages, flexes, tablets and various sample-containers.  
He picked up one of the flex pages, startling his team.  
“So, did you guys actually get any sleep?”  
Ramirez scratched the back of his head with an impish smile.  
“I'm sure I nodded of a moment or two sometime around sunrise.”  
Causing the others to chuckle and nod.  
Takeshi merely shook his head.  
“Eriksson will be back any minute now for debriefing, let's get this mess sorted while we wait.”  
“Yes Sir!”  
There was a hint of amused teasing in their voices which made Takeshi give each of them a gentle slap the back of the head with the flex he was holding, careful not to damage the page.  
“I think I need to run you guys ragged a bit more often, you are growing impertinent.”  
They all quickly assured him there was no need for such drastic actions and he couldn't help smiling at them, their loyalty was hearth warming.

“Ah, Maria. How did it go? Are you okay?”  
“I'm fine, I managed to convince him to have a few more drinks and added that concoction you gave me so he fell asleep pretty fast.”  
“Good. I hate seeing you take such risks.”  
Takeshi had given Eriksson a mixture that Tsukiko had taught him how to make, after they began working with Roberts he had asked Kasumi to have some made for him.  
The mixture of herbs and youkai toxins was a potent sleep inducing agent that worked especially well when mixed with alcohol, making whoever imbibed it drowsy and highly suggestible, while leaving no detectable traces.  
Roberts would simply believe he had a few too many to drink.

“Did you manage to get any information out of him?”  
“Nothing particularly useful. Mostly confirmation on information we already have. But there was one thing.”  
Instantly everyone's attention was focused on Eriksson.  
“It seems like there's something big coming, the creep was talking about the fortune he was about to make by leading the GCTI to his competition. And then use GCTI resources to eliminate the competition and take over their turf.”  
“I guess they will be going after groups out there not backing the GCTI.”  
“From what I understood these groups are really backing terrorists though. Not that their assets ending up under that bastard's, or the GCTI's, control is any better.”  
_“Pest eller kolera...”  
_ “Huh? What was that Maria?”  
“Sorry, it's a Swedish expression. I really don't know what it would be in English.”  
“Well, what does it mean?”  
“Plague or Cholera. As in having to choose between two bad things. I guess _Between a rock and a hard place_ would be similar but that doesn't feel right somehow.”  
“My father always used to say _Between the devil and the deep blue sea_.”  
Daniels added a different version of the expression.  
“Mi amá was from Greece, she would say _Between Scylla and Charybdis_.”  
Ramirez' addition further derailed the conversation and they soon demanded that Takeshi give them a Japanese expression for the dilemma.  
“ _Itabasami_.”  
“Damn, that's short.”  
“Indeed, and it doesn't really translate very well _A fish caught between two boards_.”  
The translation made everyone laugh and agree that it sounded better without being translated.  
“What about you Shani?”  
Adannaya just shook her head.  
She spoke Swahili as well as several other African languages, but she didn't like to use them, she insisted on never speaking anything but English unless she absolutely had to.  
“Okay, that's enough guys. No need to pester her.”  
Takeshi stepped in when the others got too caught up in the moment and he could tell Adannaya was feeling uncomfortable.  
“Damn, sorry Shani.”  
All of them quickly apologized before Takeshi told them to get their asses ready before they missed breakfast.

With breakfast out of the way they gathered at the large balcony of the penthouse that Roberts was using.  
The asshole was having one of his classified meetings with a few of the underground backers and had ordered them to stay behind.  
“This is the itinerary for the next 3 months.”  
“Nothing but a big fucking PR stunt. I hate this fucking shit.”  
“Ramirez! Language!”  
The rebuke was purely reflex and made the others snicker a bit, but Ramirez instantly dropped to the floor and started working off his usual punishment.  
“Yes Sir!”  
Takeshi watched as Ramirez worked of the exercises, he didn't truly expect them to _drop and give him 50_ anymore, but they did anyway and he wasn't about to stop them, it was after all a good extra exercise.  
“You have improved. Next time, add 5 of everything to each set.”  
“Yes Sir! Thank you Sir.”  
The tone was decidedly cheeky which made Takeshi grab one of the grapes from the bowl of fruit on the table and flick it at Ramirez forehead, making the ripe berry burst apart and leave a big wet spot.  
“Ick. Aw man, that's just not fair.”  
Ramirez complained loudly while trying to wipe the liquid from his face but the sugary juice didn't cooperate and he just ended up being even more covered in it.  
“Pay attention guys.”  
Takeshi quickly grabbed everyone's attention and continued the briefing.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Beneath the Surface_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Kufra, Libya

Takeshi was standing on a bridge over a large pond, watching the collection of high quality koi swim around in the climate controlled water, the pond was an extravagant show of wealth here in one of the world's driest locations.  
The hot and extremely arid climate meant that the pond required a lot of expensive maintenance to maintain proper living conditions for the koi that lazily swam around the various fountains and waterfalls that helped keep the water cool.

Kufra was a central point in the migrant and human trafficking routes from the East African coast and parts of the Middle East and as such it was an area of high interest to the GCTI.  
Officially they were there to investigate what resources the local government and law enforcement needed to deal with the constant stream of migrants and combat the rampant trafficking issue, but reality was that the local government was deeply involved with the trade and made a lot of money from it.  
The resources funneled here by the GCTI would only help increase the profits, profits that would then be fed back to the corrupts GCTI brass through underground backers.  
But on the surface it would look like the GCTI was putting huge amounts of resourced into combating the exploitation of refugees by human smugglers and human trafficking.

Soft footsteps behind him drew his attention away from the fish, and contemplating the current assignment, looking over his shoulder revealed that it was Daniels, and she looked troubled.  
The fact that she placed the counter surveillance device she and Eriksson had built on the railing between them and activated it only strengthened the image.  
“We need to talk.”  
“What's the matter?”  
He waited patiently as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself, whatever was on her mind had really done a number on her.  
“Take...”  
While he couldn't see her face due to the mask he could hear her snapping her mouth closed before sucking in another breath and he could tell she was repeatedly clenching her jaw as she closed her eyes and tried to control herself and it took a few false starts before she managed to say anything coherent.  
“You're probably already aware that I'm attracted to you, physically, right?”  
He tilted his head slightly and nodded, he didn't want to interrupt her now that she had finally found her words.

Living in close quarters for such a long time as they had made it quite obvious that she held some level of interest in him, he had noticed her watching him many times and his enhanced senses had picked up on certain telltale changes in her when she did.  
Especially when she would sneak a peek while they were in the showers, or when he was doing his morning routine before reveille.  
His morning routine was to wake up roughly an hour before the reveille was sounded, do his morning workout and then turn the radio on to one of the channels that played soft music as he went to the showers, giving the others a chance to get a softer wake up call than the sharp sound of the bugle call over the speakers.  
Though, even that was better than the blaring alarm they had been awakened by in the beginning.

“Well...”  
There was another round of false starts and Takeshi reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.  
“Deep breaths, calm you breathing and your pulse will follow, calm your body and your mind will follow.”  
He recited the familiar lesson in meditation and watched as she closed her eyes and did as instructed, but when she reached up and touched his hand he let go and waited for her to speak again.  
“Lately, this has been changing, becoming more...”  
She was refusing to look at him and he could feel sadness and distress in her aura.  
“The idea of becoming emotionally invested has you this distraught?”  
Takeshi didn't really know how to feel about the reason for her distress.  
“You love Maria.”  
In an instant it became clear what caused her worry, she was worried that her growing feelings would cause issues due to his love for Eriksson, but all Takeshi felt was pride, he had been discreet but Daniels has noticed anyway.  
And it was obvious she cared about their unit and didn't want to risk it being broken apart.  
“I do.”  
There was no point in trying to deny his feelings but seeing the way she deflated at his confirmation, despite already knowing I to be the case, was painful.

“D, don't.”  
When she turned away from him and tried to walk away he stopped her by quickly stepping around her and gently trapping her against the railing of the bridge, she still refused to look at him though, turning her face away from him despite the mask.  
“There are some things you should know about me. You no doubt already know that I'm attracted to males as well.”  
She nodded slowly, uncertain about where he was going, but she remained turned away from him.  
“What you might not be aware of is that I **am** polyamorous.”

The way her head snapped up would have made him laugh if it wasn't for the tears he could smell behind the mask, instead he cupped her head with his hands, leaned in, and rested the lower part of his mask against the upper part of hers.  
He silently cursed the masks they were made to wear, he wanted to wipe her tears away, and he had a strong urge to kiss her, even if just on the forehead to show her that he wasn't indifferent to her.  
But unfortunately the masks were necessary to conceal their identities, the others wore pretty basic skull shaped tactical masks that were highlighted with colors matching their call-sign.  
Takeshi wore a custom mask inspired by the _S_ _ō_ _men_ masks worn by samurai, a black demon face with amber horns.  
He intended to make masks for all of them if he got a chance to form a dantai bond with them.

“D, don't worry. There is no way something like this would break us apart, I refuse to allow that. If anything it will bring us together, make us stronger.”  
Pulling her into a hug he tucked her head under his chin and after a tense moment she began to relax.  
“Don't worry, we will figure this out.”  
He could feel her nodding against his chest before he let go and took a step back.  
“The GCTI hasn't managed to break us, neither will this.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Beneath the Surface_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Dharavi, Mumbai, India

Takeshi was struggling not to gag despite the filters in his mask, the smell of raw sewage and disease was thick in the air and the smog from the surrounding city didn't help.  
He was grateful that it was only him and Ramirez who had to breathe the foul air, the others were traveling with Roberts in the Knight XV which had the ability to completely seal of outside air and rely on a combination of air tanks and rebreather technology to recycle the air inside the vehicle.

The Dharavi slum in Mumbai was the last stop on the glorified PR stunt they had been assigned to babysit Roberts through and Takeshi was looking forward to being rid of the bastard.  
At least this time they would be getting some time off while Roberts met with some of the higher-ups at the Mumbai GCTI headquarters, it would give them an opportunity to head out in civilian clothes and let loose a bit.  
He had a feeling there would be plenty of complaints though about his plans for the following day.

“Come on guys, rise and shine!”  
As expected there was plenty of grumbling despite him having chased them all to bed extra early.  
“God dammit! Take! Is not even 3am! Are you insane?”  
“Come on dude, I thought we were supposed to have the day off?”  
“Oh, we do. But we need to be at the Sassoon Dock bright an early if we want to get our hands on good quality seafood. And we don't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic.”  
They all groaned at the mention of Mumbai traffic, it truly was horrible.

Takeshi had already spoken to the officer in charge of the kitchen and had secured permission to use the kitchen in the officers mess to cook a meal for himself and his unit.  
He had also secured the use of one of the base's crew vans that was equipped with a refrigeration unit as well as paid one of the off duty crew to be their driver and interpreter as none of them were particularly good at neither Marathi nor Hindi.

“Here are your clothes.”  
Takeshi tossed each of them a package of clothes that he had requested when they first arrived 3 days ago.  
“Oh, and it's not even my birthday!”  
Ramirez tore into the package with gusto only to freeze and stare at Takeshi in utter confusion as he found a long piece of embroidered cloth and a long, embroidered, shirt.  
“It's a _Dhoti_ and a _Kurta_.”  
Takeshi supplied with a smile.  
“I knew it was too good to be true... I have no clue how to wear this stuff.”  
“Don't worry, I'll help you get it wrapped.”  
The ladies of the group were a bit more enthusiastic about their packages that contained a pair of knee-length tights, a colorful _Sari_ with embroideries and bead-work and a matching, heavily decorated short top.  
The length of the tops did earn him a bit of a crooked look though as they were little more than decorated sports bras with sleeves.

Takeshi started by helping Ramirez wrap the dhoti while also getting himself wrapped up, though his own was made with a darker cloth and he wore leggings to hide his tattoo.  
“Luis, why don't you give Shani a hand and I'll help Maria.”  
Adannaya had some experience wearing wrap style clothing so she would need less help sorting the garment out, and Takeshi would be demonstrating on Eriksson, he chose to take Daniels last as that would ensure the others were distracted when he helped her.  
“Hmp, and just how come you managed to get the perfect size tops? Did you check my underwear drawer?”  
“Nah, I have excellent hearing and good memory. Remember the tailor?”  
"So you were spying on us.”  
“Of course. Knowing your exact size can be useful if I feel like getting you a little something.”

He quickly gathered her hair and braided it so it wouldn't get caught in the long sari while he wrapped it.  
_“Hörru!”_  
Eriksson huffed and slapped at his hands when he took the moment to cop a feel as he wrapped the long cloth around her waist and pulled it up between her legs to form the dhoti pants,though, both her voice and posture carried hints of teasing amusement.  
“You know, gentlemen are not supposed to be handsy...”  
The teasing quip gave Takeshi a perfect opening to push a bit further and he took the moment to grab her hips and pull her against him before leaning in and brushing his lips against her ear as he whispered to her.  
“Whoever claimed me to be a gentleman?”  
The rather violent reaction was expected as she planted her heel on his toes before delivering a sharp elbow and spinning around into a slap.  
“Range of motion, acceptable for self-defense purposes...”  
He groaned with a smile as Eriksson danced out of reach and diverted her attention to Ramirez and Adannaya who were laughing hard at Takeshi's misfortune.

“D, you're next.”  
As he had done with Eriksson he quickly gathered up her hair and braided it to keep it out of the way, but this time he made sure to softly brush his fingers against her neck and the exposed parts of her back while carefully monitoring her reactions.  
He could feel her shiver at the touch and the soft gasp told him she understood he was doing it on purpose.  
By the time he secured the end of the sari over her shoulder and released her hair she was leaning slightly against him and he leaned in to kiss her neck, but before he had chance to she froze slightly.  
“Please, stop.”  
Her words were barely a whisper but he heard her just fine, and he could also tell that if he pushed she wouldn't try to stop him, but he wouldn't, not now at least.  
“I don't want to...”  
He whispered back as he brushed his lips against her shoulder before stepping back.

“I have a few more things for the ladies.”  
Bringing out a final box he revealed a selection of jewelry, hair ornaments, armlets, anklets and bangles as well as _Hathphool_ , a set of bracelet and rings connected by decorative chains and a larger centerpiece kept in place at the back of the hand, he had also picked a long pinned brooch for each of them that could serve as a weapon in a pinch.

“Don't you think you are overdoing it just a bit?”  
“Never! Only the best is good enough for my girls.”  
The huffs and sighs that answered him all held the familiar, slightly teasing, tone and he quickly set to work on handing out the gifts, and helping them put them on.

As usual Adannaya was the least tolerant of his antics, she had a sharpness to her that demanded he respect her personal space and she had little patience for his more rambunctious teasing.  
It wasn't that she was cold or unfriendly in any way, but her character was dominated by solemness, she was calm and subtle, and held herself with a deep rooted dignity.  
In respect of her nature he worked quickly, adorning her with the gold and amethyst pieces he had selected for her, and he was very happy with the result, the contrast to her dark skin and black hair was stunning.  
“There, all done. So, who's next?”

Eriksson quickly moved over and allowed him to wrangle her hair into order and adorn it with silver and sparkling blue gemstones, but the band along her hairline consisted of stones in grays and whites mixed with clear stones to bring out the blue in her eyes.  
Daniels was soon done as well with a selection of blue and gray to bring out the green in her eyes.  
“Luis, I haven't forgotten about you.”  
Takeshi quickly pinned a double brooch with gold chains to Ramirez chest before picking up his own piece and having him return the favor.

“How in the world did you get the GCTI to pay for all this?”  
Eriksson was twirling around around them with a brilliant smile, she had always liked dressing up.  
“I didn't.”  
“Then ho... Oh.. You shouldn't have... This stuff must have cost a fortune...”  
She stopped moving as she realized that Takeshi had been the one to pay for everything.  
“A fortune or two I can do.”

 


	4. Fading Into Darkness

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Fading into Darkness_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

GCTI carrier "Liberty", Sargasso Sea, December 2021

Takeshi didn't like being stuck on the _Liberty_ , there was no privacy to be had, forcing them to stick with formalities almost all the time.  
Their assigned quarters was the only place they could relax somewhat, as a special operations unit they were given a bit more luxury than the regular enlisted men in the form of their own space, but despite that it was still small and cramped.  
Their current quarters was originally intended for 8 junior officers but had been retrofitted to house a standard 5 man special operations team, two bunk beds and a slightly more comfortable bed for the team leader.  
The only positive thing about the _Liberty_ was the commander, Thomas Matthews.

“Sarge, what do you think they have lined up for us this time?”  
Takeshi and his team had been called to attend briefing for a new assignment and they were all looking forward to finally be rid of babysitting Roberts.  
“I don't know. But anything is better than what we have been doing lately.”  
The others quickly agreed but Takeshi had a bad feeling, they had been called to the commander's in-port cabin which was highly irregular and it had him worrying as they navigated the narrow corridors.  
As they entered the room they all cursed under their breaths and Takeshi's concerns were given form, there, right next to some of the GCTI top brass, was the sadistic bastard they all knew and hated.  
On Takeshi subtle signal the other saluted then took a seat in the provided chairs while he stepped forward to receive their new orders.  
The way Roberts leered at Eriksson with a smug grin made Takeshi's skin crawl and he wanted nothing more than to send her back to their quarters or at least place himself between her and the creep.

After the basic greetings the commander motioned for Takeshi to take a seat as well.  
"Sergeant Kiryu.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Your unit will continue your assignment as Mr Roberts personal guard. During this assignment Mr Roberts will be using his reputation to approach underground organizations suspected to aid terrorism either with funds or arms. They will be approached under the guise of Mr Roberts wanting a piece of the action by funneling funds into suitable projects. As I'm sure you all understand the GCTI can not be connected to this assignment in any way. Your cover will be a mercenary group operating out of Yemen. You will receive a full briefing at noon, then you have 1 week to get your asses ready to move out."

Takeshi cursed silently, this was really bad, such an assignment would leave them vulnerable.  
A quick look at Roberts confirmed that his grin had grown even more smug which told Takeshi that it was planned, his fears were being realized, someone high up in the GCTI had decided to give Roberts an opportunity to get his filthy hands on Eriksson.  
Without the formal backing of the GCTI, and deep in enemy territory, where Roberts had allies, their position would be weak, they would have to rely entirely on their own ability for protection.  
It was time for him to act, the ryujin had already told him that his plans were the right path and a deep sense of dread told him that now was the time to act.  
With a deep breath to calm himself he rose from his seat and walked up to the table where the brass was seated.

"Matthews, this is not the kind of assignment we want to rush into. As well trained as my unit is they lack training specific to this kind of undercover work and to pass as a mercenary unit of the level that would be required to make this credible they will need to learn how to move, how to talk. I will not jeopardize the mission and my unit because you are in a hurry and won't give the proper time to prepare."  
He could feel the rage in the air, both from Roberts as the prospect of his chance to get to Eriksson slipping through his fingers and from the brass, who were outraged at the way he addressed the commander.  
Though, Takeshi knew that Matthews didn't take offense to the lack of titles, or his frankness and after a long moment's silence Matthews spoke up.

"Your opinion has merit Sergeant, how long would you need to properly prepare your unit?"  
Takeshi weighed his options and made a quick estimate, using the dreamscape he could have them reasonably trained in 3 months, but of course he would not tell them that.  
"I would have preferred a year, but I'm guessing that won't be possible. 6 months is the fastest it can be done and to do that I need to take them to a secure location for the full duration."  
This caused some outraged mutterings at the table but Matthews replied before any of them got to the point of objecting.  
"Acceptable, anything else you need?".  
"I need a VTOL-capable _Blackout_ and backdoor access to the global refueling network, to do this we need to go completely underground, no distractions. Daniels will make sure we can't be tracked and we will return to the Liberty on July 1st 2022 for an updated briefing".  
It took some control to resist smirking when he heard the objections being whispered at the table, about his audacity to make demands, about his lack of respect for the commander, but as expected Matthews nodded.  
"Granted, get moving!"  
Takeshi turned his back to them with a short _Hai!_ and nodded for the team that they were leaving, and as they left he heard Matthews silence the other brass in the room.  
"That damn kid is the best I have ever seen, so what if he doesn't follow protocol or has an _attitude_ , he has earned that attitude!"  
Matthews was one of the few of the GCTI higher ups Takeshi actually liked, sure he knew of the true agenda of GCTI but unlike most of the others he genuinely wanted to make a difference rather than just grab as much as he could for himself.

10 hours later he found himself at the controls of a _Blackout,_ a small jet aircraft specially designed to be untraceable, invisible to all known forms of radar, thermal and satellite detection and when flown at night, near invisible both to the naked eye as well as night-vision and laser-enhanced optics.  
The others were chatting away behind him and he heard Adannaya's soft footsteps coming up behind him,  
“Take, if you don't mind me asking, where are we headed?”  
He nodded for her to take a seat in the co-pilot's seat  
“We are headed to an old Kiryu safe-house at Mount Fuji, but first we are making a few stops to pick up gear and supplies, Matthews was generous enough to leave his wallet in the glove-compartment”  
He smirked and waved a no-limit gold card with a Post-It reading _'Have fun kids!'_ attached to it.  
Adannaya laughed and grabbed the card before going back to the others waving the card,  
“Look here girls, shopping time!”  
The cheering was accompanied by a low groan as Ramirez voiced his opinion about shopping with the ladies of the group.  
“Don't worry Luis, we will mostly be shopping for supplies.”  
The laughter was enough to tell Takeshi everything he needed to know about Ramirez reaction to the promise.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Fading into Darkness_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi started by Taking them to Miami, using the GCTI base to land the _Blackout_ before heading to the mansion, though Kasumi wasn't there at the moment.  
He was only there to collect his real ID and a few other items, and to place a call to Kasumi to have her prepare the Fuji safe-house.

The next stop was LA, something urged him to visit the grave of his biological parents.  
“Take, why are we here?”  
Ramirez looked hesitantly at the gates of the cemetery.  
“My biological parents are buried here. I intend to pay my respects before we embark on this little adventure.”  
“Oh... Foot, meet mouth...”  
“It's fine, it's not sore subject in any way. I was only a few days old when they died, I have no actual memory of them.”

The graves were well tended but Takeshi went through the ritual steps of cleaning the tombstone and making sure there were no weeds before offering flowers, incense and a prayer.  
He could feel the others stepping up behind him and moments later he felt four hands touching his back and shoulders, with a short nod he rose and turned to them.  
“Let's go get something to eat and a few drinks.”  
They all ignored him though in favor for stepping up and offer comfort in the form of hugs that he was more than happy to accept, even Adannaya did despite her insistence on maintaining her personal space.

“Are you sure you're good to pilot?”  
Ramirez had been groaning and complaining all morning and it made Takeshi smile, the man did not do hold his booze well.  
“Yes I'm sure. I'm stone cold sober.”  
“How the hell is that even possible, you had a lot more to drink than me and I still feel half drunk.”  
“Well, unlike you I'm not a lightweight pipsqueak.”  
“Why you..!”

Ramirez outraged cry only made the girls laugh harder and before he got a chance to get out of his seat Takeshi hit the thrusters and launched the _Blackout_ somewhat roughly, making Ramirez yelp and grab onto the shoulder-straps of his harness.  
Ramirez was pretty small for a man, at only 162cm he was by far the shortest of them, Daniels measured in at 170cm and Adannaya had her slightly beat at 172cm followed by Eriksson who was somewhat tall for a woman with her 178cm.  
Then came Takeshi who was significantly taller than even Eriksson with his 188cm.

“You even sound like a pipsqueak.”  
“That was a yelp not a squeak!”  
Ramirez complaints only earned him laughs and teasing though.  
Once they had cleared LA primary airspace Takeshi put the _Blackout_ in autopilot and headed back to join the others, despite the _Blackout_ 's capacity for _Supercruise_ , sustained supersonic flight, the flight from LA to Tokyo would take roughly 4 hours.  
“ _Daifug_ _ō_ anyone?”  
Takeshi waved the deck of cards and before long everyone had swung their seats to the table and waited for him to shuffle the deck and deal the hands for the popular card game.  
It quickly evolved into something quite different though as various silly bets were made and mixed with dares and _Batsu_ , punishments.

“So, how long will we be staying in Tokyo?”  
“Not very long I'm afraid.”  
The others were clearly disappointed at hearing they would not be staying very long.  
“I would have loved to stay until after the New Year. But we are on a somewhat tight schedule here. 1 week to buy supplies, relax, and have some fun, that's all we can afford until we are done.”  
After setting down at the Haneda airport a limousine was now bringing them to Takeshi's favorite Ginza hotel.  
“This training you have planned, it's going to be tough, isn't it?”  
“It is, it will be a lot tougher than what GCTI put us through, but with less big mouthed assholes, and proper rest.”

“Well come on, time's wasting.”  
“Can't we wait until tomorrow to shopping?”  
“Sorry, the stuff we are buying today needs to be ordered and takes a few days to arrive.”  
Takeshi had a feeling that the store he had planned for the day would cause some mixed reactions.  
It was a combined store and restaurant that specialized in artisan soybean products such as _Sh_ _ō_ _yu,_ Japanese soy sauce, _Natt_ _ō_ , fermented soybeans, _Miso_ , fermented soybean paste and _T_ _o_ _fu_ , soy milk curd.  
Takeshi wasn't really interested in the tofu though, his target was a good shōyu, soybeans and some nattō-kin, the starter bacteria for making nattō and a few different miso pastes.  
It was part of the base staples needed to feed them while they were at the hidden safe-house, natto would be made every few days to make sure they always had a good supply, but shōyu and miso paste needed to be fermented for months, even years.  
He knew the house where they were going had a well stocked kitchen when it came equipment so there would be no problem making most food from scratch as long as he stocked up on the staples.

“Oh, a restaurant!”  
Eriksson was dancing around him, her childish delight and love for trying new foods was one of the things he loved about her.  
“I thought you said we were going shopping for supplies?”  
“We are, but we are buying a few more high quality items, which includes tasting the different wares for sale.”  
“Oh...”  
It took them nearly 3 hours to select their goods and order it to be delivered to the airport and Takeshi continued to another nearby store to purchase a few varieties of rice, flour, beans, nuts and seeds.

“Damn, how much rice did you buy?”  
Ramirez was staring at the numbers on the receipt with wide eyes, Takeshi knew he didn't actually read Japanese, but the 米 kanji for rice was easy to recognize.  
“A pallet.”  
“And how much is a pallet?”  
“A tonne.”  
“You just literally bought a tonne of rice?!”  
“Mhm.”  
“Just how much rice do you expect us to eat?”  
“A lot.”  
“No shitting...”  
“I'm not actually expecting us to eat all of it. But the training I'm about to put you guys through will mean eating a bit more than you are used to to keep your energy up.”  
He didn't mention that he would be eating a lot more as well as he would be spending large amounts of reiki to help form the bonds.

 

“So, what are we getting next? Anything interesting to sample?”  
“Definitely.”  
Takeshi didn't elaborate, knowing well that it would leave Eriksson agitated, but it was well worth it to see her curiosity infect the others as they headed toward a _Kanbutsu-ya_ , dried goods, store.  
“What is that? It looks almost like wood.”  
Daniels carefully tapped the curious item.  
“It feels like wood too.”  
“It's _Katsuobushi_.”  
“And what is that?”  
“Remember the bonito flakes you love?”  
“Mhm?”  
“Bonito is a cheaper substitute for katsuobushi. These blocks are skipjack tuna that has been smoked, fermented and dried, then you shave as much as you need.”  
“Ooh, we need a lot of this!”  
Takeshi laughed as he carefully inspected the blocks of dried fish before handing his selection to the shop assistant who was attending them.  
He quickly added _Kombu_ , dried kelp, _Iriko_ , tiny, dried sardines and dried shiitake mushrooms, all the ingredients needed to make the _Dashi_ , stock, that was vital to Japanese cooking.  
Several other dried goods were added to the list of items including several kinds of mushrooms, shrimp, roe and other seafood, nori, vegetables and meats.  
There would be fresh meat, fish and such available as well, but the dried goods would be the base of their diet.

By the time they were done at the _Kanbutsu-ya_ it was time for dinner and Takeshi brought them to Sasaki's which had them all excited as they recognized the back street from their last time time.  
“Ah, welcome back!”  
Old lady Sasaki instantly switched to English, remembering their last visit, and ushered them to one of the private rooms before making the staff scurry to bring out the best they had to offer, including generous amounts of saké.  
Leaving Sasaki's they walked along the streets, sampling a few food items here and there along with more saké while heading in the general direction of their hotel and the mood was running high with plenty of laughing and teasing.

“Oh, look an onsen! Can we go have a bath?”  
Takeshi's mood instantly dropped slightly as he would have no choice but to decline.  
“I'm sorry D. We, or rather I, can't. This onsen doesn't offer private baths, and like most they have a strict _No Tattoos!_ policy.”  
It was rather typical for Japanese baths, the public view on tattoos was still rather negative, connecting them to a criminal lifestyle and the yakuza, Takeshi's tattoo was a different style, but it still barred him from most _Onsen_ , hot spring baths and _Sent_ _ō_ , public bathhouses.  
“Oh... Sorry...”  
Daniels leaned into his side, offering comfort and apology and he was pleased when she didn't try to move away when he placed his arm around her.  
“Don't be. There's a private onsen were we are going.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Fading into Darkness_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Back at the hotel the night continued in the same spirit as the evening had with plenty of drinking, teasing and general shenanigans and when Daniels walked past him after refilling her little bowl of snacks Takeshi seized the opportunity.  
Acting on a whim he quickly snaked his arm around her waist and tugged gently, carefully looking for any signs of resistance, but there were none as she allow herself to fall into his lap with a huff of mock annoyance.  
With a bit of squirming around she made herself comfortable in the oversized armchair and Takeshi could feel her breath hitch slightly as he wrapped his arm around her waist and splayed his hand across the slightly heated skin of her exposed belly.  
The others pointedly focused on the movie that was playing on the TV, allowing Takeshi and Daniels a measure of privacy, a clear sign that they didn't disprove of him making a move, Ramirez went as far as giving him a discreet thumbs up when Daniels was looking the other way.  
Takeshi had no intention of pushing things much more than he already had though so he settled for gently brushing his fingers over the exposed skin, testing her reactions, but when she leaned heavier into his side and nuzzled her face against his shoulder with a soft sigh the touch grew bolder.

Shifting their positions around slightly Takeshi found himself hovering slightly above her and leaning in he gently brushed his lips over hers but there was no reaction and he struggled to keep still, to not push any further.  
Time seemed to be at a standstill and an agonizingly long moment passed before he felt her shift slightly beneath him, then soft lips brushing against his own and he savored the flavor of her as her lips parted and welcomed him as he deepened the kiss.  
Pulling back slightly he looked at her, drinking in the visage beneath him, her lips slightly parted and wide eyes dark with desire.  
_“Utsukushii...”_  
Leaning back in he reclaimed her lips and the hunger quickly rose between them, hands roaming, gently teasing and when he took her lip between his teeth and carefully bit down she responded by kissing him roughly, and biting down quite hard.  
The pain pulled a needy groan from him and he felt himself instantly harden and it was quite obvious from the way she gasped and became bolder, and rougher, that she had noticed as well.  
“Take, you...?”  
She never finished the whispered question, but he understood what she was asking.  
“Yeah, I do. A lot actually...”  
She answered him by digging her nails in hard and it made him shudder with raw desire, if she kept such things up it wouldn't take long for him to reach his end without the need of any further intimacy.

The sudden impact of a soft pillow startled both of them quite badly and a moment later a laughing quip revealed the assailant to be Adannaya.  
“You have a room, use it.”  
“Shani!”  
Daniels voiced a scandalized cry and threw the pillow back but she didn't resist when he scooped her up and started walking toward the bedrooms.  
“Are you sure?”  
He whispered softly as he approached the door to his room and she nodded and clung to him.  
Once in his room their clothes were quickly lost and soon they found themselves in the large bed, eagerly exploring each-other further, finding the sensitive spots, and Daniels quickly figured out how sensitive his tattoo was and took full advantage of it.  
Takeshi was somewhat surprised when he felt no desire to push things further.  
Make no mistake, he wanted to take her, desperately, but somehow it didn't feel like it was the right time.  
“D, slow down please. I want this, and more, I really do. But I think we better wait until we are sober.”  
At first there was a low whine in objection, but then she pulled back slightly and nodded.  
Had she pushed he would not have refused her, but he was relieved that she understood what he was trying to say, why he was stopping.  
They didn't completely stop though, with her wrapped in his arms the kisses went on, but they turned from sexual to emotional, and he savored every moment of it, feeling her aura respond to him, instinctively reaching out and accepting him.

The feeling of waking up with Daniels in his arms was hard to describe, but he knew it was a feeling he would never forget, and always crave.  
He didn't even notice that his hold on her had tightened until she stirred slightly and objected.  
“Mmm, sorry. Go back to sleep. It's still early.”  
She squirmed slightly but quickly made herself comfortable with her face buried in his chest.

“Please stay...”  
He was about to get up and do his morning routine when Daniels grabbed hold of him and begged him to stay.  
“Of course sweetie.”  
He was more than happy to forego his workout in favor for holding on to her and making her happy.  
He could feel the others at the door, but he didn't acknowledge them until he heard the soft click of a camera and when he looked up Eriksson was standing in the door with a wide grin.  
“I promise, it's tasteful.”  
When he reached out to grab a pillow she darted away with a laugh and the door slid closed again.  
“I'm gonna get her for that...”  
Daniels' mumbling made Takeshi snicker and agree, they would get a suitable revenge for the candid picture.

After seeing the picture Takeshi made sure to get a digital copy as well as a quality print though, it was a really good picture and Daniels looked so calm, so happy, he wanted to always be able to see her that way.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Fading into Darkness_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

After a 1 week _shopping spree_ the _Blackout_ was stocked with all the supplies they needed for their retreat from civilization and Takeshi took them to Mount Fuji and the hidden house.  
It was a tough landing but soon the Blackout was taken into a large, artificial, cavern and the active camouflage deactivated.  
At some point in time it had been a smaller, natural cave, but it had been expanded and reinforced using youkai techniques to ensure that any volcanic activity wouldn't cause it to collapse.  
The house in front of the cave was mostly for show, for receiving guests or deliveries, the real safe-house was hidden deep within the caves.  
Once all supplies had been moved into various storerooms Takeshi took the team into a small sitting-room housed in the deeper parts of the cave system.

“Hey, Take! What did you bring us to this place for anyway?”  
Daniels ever the impatient one was the first to voice her questions.  
He ignored her in favor of taking a seat and wait for the others to sit as well.  
“You have all asked me at one time or another how I do some of the things I do. And I have told you about some of it, like the bond I share with Kasumi.”  
Silent nods was all the response offered.  
“Over the next few months I will be teaching you as much as possible of it, you will not come anywhere near my level, but you will be able to do things most would deem impossible. But first, there is something you all need to see.”  
Takeshi brought out a small wooden box that opened to reveal four crystal vials, one of them much smaller than the others, picking up the smaller vial he turned to Adannaya and tossed it to her.  
“Shani, I trust you carry your dream-essence with you?”  
She caught it with a startled look.  
“Eh, yes, of course I do, but how did you...?”  
“That vial contains the _essence_ you will need to find your way.”  
He interrupted her without answering her question.  
“For the rest of you the contents of these vials will do the trick.”  
He quickly gave each of them a vial before continuing.  
“Once you drink those you will fell into a very deep sleep so get comfortable, I will tell you more once it's done”.  
“What about you? You just gonna sit there and watch us sleep? Or are you planning to do something weird?”  
Ramirez voiced his questions with his usual lack of decorum.  
“I don't need any aid to enter the _dreamscape_ , I never did.”  
His statement caused a raised eyebrow from Adannaya but she held her questions for the moment.

Takeshi watched as they all emptied their vials, Shani after mixing her smaller vial with the contents of a vial she wore around her neck, the effect was near instant and a mere minute later they were all in a deep sleep.  
He leaned back and took a calming breath before slipping into a meditative sleep and entering the _dreamscape_.

 

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-Shared Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

_Takeshi watched as the shadows of his team slowly started to rouse within the dreamscape, and as expected Shani was the first to fully awake due to having past experience with dream-questing.  
“Take, this place, it feels unlike any I have ever seen before during my dream-quests, what is it?”  
“This is a dreamscape that is unique to the Kiryu family, I will explain once the others are awake.”  
She nodded while silently looking around her, trying to get a feel for the strange place.  
_

_Once the others were awake the dreamscape shifted from a dark version of the room the had been in into the cave where he had first encountered dreamscape and the Ryujin, the cave from his mountain trial.  
Shani silently kept observing the surroundings while the others were showering him with questions, what had happened, where were they and so on.  
“ **Oi!** , Enough chatter and listen up!”  
They gathered around, eager for answers.  
“First of, this place is called a dreamscape, a pocket of reality that exists outside of our own, many things are different here, for starters the saying _'Mind over Matter' _isn't just words here, it is what defines this entire realm so mind yourself, do not let your thoughts wander to far. Time is something fluid, optional, weeks worth of training can be accomplished in here with mere hours passing outside.”  
“Cool, so that's how you manage to learn everything so damn fast, you just go in here and train!”  
Daniels interrupted him.  
“It is part of the reason,another part would be the fact that I'm a genius with near perfect recall.”  
The far from humble quip made everyone laugh and complain about him cheating.  
“But the main reason for me being able to do much of what I can is about to reveal itself, I suggest you at least try to stay calm, she is not too fond of yelling and chaos.”  
“She?”  
“She, who?”  
“Ain't nobody here but us.”  
All of them looking around trying to see who he was talking about.  
_

“ _ **That She would be Me!”  
** All traces of light vanished from the room as a thundering voice filled it and made everyone save for Takeshi freeze.  
“No need to try to scare the living daylights out of them, you are the one who told me to bring them here after all.”  
Takeshi spoke calmly into the darkness surrounding them.  
“And please, enough with the theatrics, I would like to get introductions over with so we can move on to training.”  
**“Aww, so impatient my dear little shadow. Never time to alleviate me from my boredom.”  
** As she spoke the volume of her voice dimmed and the lights returned to the cavern revealing the black scaled dragon, scales glistening like gems under the reflections of a mane of black flames.  
“Holy Fucking Shit! Is that a fucking DRAGON?! As in genuine, honest to god fire-breathing piece of living myth!?”  
Ramirez was the first to recover and find his voice and as always he did not mince his words.  
“Luis! Language!”  
This time Ramirez didn't respond by starting his usual punishment workout, he was far too distracted by Kiryu's presence.  
**“Observant one isn't he?”  
** The voice held a slightly mocking amusement.  
**“I am Kiryu of the Shadowflame, Ryujin to the Kiryu family and yes, I am a 'fucking dragon' as you so eloquently put it. And who may you be?”  
** A head crowned with horns and flames leaned in toward Ramirez and a hand armed with glistening scales and razor sharp talons extended toward him  
“Ah... I'm Luis, Luis Ramirez, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lady Kiryu.”  
For a brief moment he was stunned, then he found himself and reached out with a smile and placed a kiss on the scale covered hand, carefully avoiding the deadly talons.  
**“Heart, and guts. Acceptable. Attitude might need some work though.”  
** “Bah, he is just being his usual perverted self, he'd chase after anything female.”  
Daniels choose that moment to come to her senses and voice her opinion of Ramirez' antics.  
**“Speaking from experience I take, little one?”  
** “Indeed, but don't worry, just give him a good ass-kicking and he'll behave.”  
Daniels replied without missing a beat.  
“Hey, now I'm hurt here, I always behave!”  
Ramirez called out, all while trying to keep an innocent look on his face.  
“Yeah, like a grade A pervert!”  
Eriksson joined their bickering, totally forgetting what was happening around them.  
And moments later Shani had been dragged into the mess as well.  
_

“ _ **An energetic bunch you have there Takeshi”**  
The dragon now the size of a squirrel perched on his shoulder, watching the antics of his unit with a snicker.  
“Only when they feel safe, they rarely get to goof off like this.”  
He sounded so much older than he was and for a moment his passenger looked almost worried before giving him a nudge with her head,  
**“Do not worry. You will find a way, a path to the future, I have no doubts that you have it within you”**.  
He didn't react to her words, deep in his own thoughts he kept watching the others bicker until it began to turn into a mock brawl.  
“Oi! Enough playing around, we are here for a reason, remember?”  
Instantly they scrambled to line up in front of him.  
“Yes Sir!”  
Holding out his hand he introduced the dragon sitting in his palm to all of them.  
“As you heard, this is Kiryu-sama, the Ryujin, Dragon God, that gave my family their name. She is also the source of much of their, and my, power. To allow you to be able to use some of that power she will lend you a small piece of herself in a similar manner as she did with me.”  
After asking Kiryu to 'return his hand' Takeshi removed his clothing, much to the amusement of the females present, once his entire tattoo was revealed he spoke again.  
“This tattoo looks normal, but that is only an illusion.”  
As he spoke the illusion faded and the scales and flames erupted from his skin.  
“It is in fact a sign that I have been infused with the blood of a dragon. You will all be infused with a small amount of dragon blood, a single drop from the source as well as one of the scales from my body, this will give you access to some of her power.”  
_

_Taking a deep breath he moved on to the next part, the hard part, the important part.  
“You remember what I told you about the connection I share with Kasumi?”  
They all nodded.  
“I want to form the same bond with all of you, binding you to me, and to each-other. This normally takes a lot of time, but Kiryu-sama can force a bond using her power infused in her scales.”  
“But won't that be dangerous?”  
“It will, it will bind our lives together. But since there are several of us, we will be able to survive if one of you are lost.”  
“But not if we lose you, right?”  
Adannaya proved that she had a fairly good understanding of matters of the spirit.  
“I'm afraid so. My power, along with Kiryu-sama's will be what fuels the bond, if I die, the bond will shatter, and your minds with it.”  
The silence was heavy as all of them considered his words.  
“Whatever, I'm in. It's not like I'd have much of a chance of surviving if it wasn't for you anyway.”  
Ramirez was the first to step up, and once he did the others followed suit with determined nods.  
“We don't mind binding our lives to yours.”  
They all agreed before Daniels stepped forward and kissed him.  
“There is nothing I want more.”  
“Other than finally getting to screw you!”  
Ramirez addition made Daniels pounce him and give him a pretty good thrashing, she could be quite fierce when her mood stuck, and Ramirez was the weakest fighter in the group.  
_

“ _Now, this will hurt and the pain will be in your mind and soul. There is no way around that. But the moment the bond connects I will carry your pain.”  
They had agreed that Adannaya would go first since she had some prior experience with controlling her own mind and spirit.  
Takeshi sat down on the ground and instructed her to remove her shirt and lay down on her back with her head in his lap.  
“Kiryu-sama will pin you down as she inserts the scale and fuses it to your sternum.”  
Adannaya nodded sharply before taking a deep breath to steel herself against the pain, but Takeshi knew it would be pointless.  
The moment the scale was pushed under her skin she cried out in agony and her soul fought the foreign power that forced it into submission.  
For the bond to form her soul had to submit to Kiryu's power, once formed the bond would be equal though.  
“Ssh, easy Shani. I know you are strong, and independent, but just this once you need to submit, allow yourself to be weak. Trust me.”  
_

_To facilitate the forming of the bond Takeshi also had to let all his emotional shields down, and in his vulnerable state Adannaya's pain tore at him, and his tears were flowing freely.  
But the moment the bond formed he was there, pulling, pushing, and taking every last bit of pain for himself while helping her find herself within the bond.  
His sense of time was messed up within the dreamscape, but he estimated it must have taken about an hour for him and Adannaya to find enough stability in the bond for them to be able to handle adding the next person.  
Takeshi wasn't surprised when the old ryujin called Daniels next, her strong desire to be close to him would help the process.  
_

“ _Ready?”  
“No...”  
He knew her well enough to know what she really meant though so he leaned in and kissed her before brushing his aura against Kiryu's to let her know they were ready to begin.  
As her pain tore at him he tried to shield Adannaya from his own pain and distress, but she kept tearing down the subtle barriers he formed to protect her, refusing to let him bear it alone.  
_ “Don't you dare!” _  
Her thoughts came through loud and clear, demanding that he let her help carry his pain, and Daniels' pain once the bond formed.  
He could feel Adannaya drain away his pain, and when he took Daniels' pain he could feel her at his back, supporting him by taking his pain, but allowing him to catty Daniels' pain himself, respecting his promise to bear their pain.  
_ “Thank you Shani...” _  
He let her feel his gratitude, and pride in her understanding and allowing him to do what he needed to and in return he could feel her amusement at his priorities.  
_

“ _Take?!”  
Once the bond was fully formed and the pain had subsided Daniels' stared at him with wide eyes and he knew she was feeling his love for her just as he could feel her emotions and he nodded with a smile.  
There was no real need for questions, or answers, though as they were almost fully merged.  
The kiss that followed was soft, but it seared their souls with raw emotion and Takeshi knew he would always love her, he knew it was supposed to be, knew she was meant for him, just as he was meant for her.  
_

_Adding Ramirez to the bond was surprisingly easy, the man had a remarkable tolerance for pain and the pain he did feel was easy to carry with Daniels and Adannaya gently supporting him.  
“Wow, this is cool! I can totally feel you guys...”  
Ramirez voice trailed off as he turned to Adannaya and started at her in utter shock.  
“You..?”  
“Of course I do you fool.”  
Takeshi had been aware since the start that the two had sex regularly, but he had ignored it as long as they kept others from finding out, but it would seem they hadn't actually admitted their feelings to each-other.  
Feeling their love for each-other over the bond was somewhat odd, but he quickly decided he liked the feeling and he couldn't help feeling a rush of lust as he watched them kiss.  
“Take!”  
Ramirez instantly complained when he felt Takeshi's reaction over the bond, but Takeshi just grinned at him as he grabbed him and gave him a quick kiss, and as he did Ramirez stilled, the bond letting him feel what Takeshi felt.  
“I see...”  
With feeling came knowing and with knowing came understanding, and finally understanding Takeshi's feelings Ramirez relaxed and allowed himself to be kissed.  
It wasn't about love, or even desire, it was something completely different, something he didn't have words for, but he finally understood, the kiss was simply Takeshi's way to try to relay what he was feeling when he had no words to describe it with.  
Friendship, trust, companionship, none of them strong enough, it was a platonic love, and yet so much more.  
When Takeshi broke off the kiss Ramirez returned it for a brief moment, and with that simple action he acknowledged Takeshi's feeling, letting him know that he accepted them, and him._

“ _Thank you Luis.”  
_

_Eriksson was the last to be added to the bond, the combination of Takeshi's love for her and the fact that they had not had an opportunity to talk about it and figure out where they stood made her a bit of a wildcard.  
They had no idea how she would respond to feeling his love for her.  
As before the others helped carry Takeshi's suffering at the pain he caused Eriksson, and they stepped back and supported him silently as he took her pain, but once the bond snapped into place things turned interesting.  
Takeshi instantly knew the moment she felt his love and he felt a flicker of emotion answer it before mental shields of shocking power slammed down, painfully cutting of the emotional exchange between them and it took all he had to protect the others from the sudden rejection.  
_

_For a brief moment before her shields slammed shut he had seen an image in her mind, a seductive smile on the face of a painfully attractive man, or as Takeshi suspected, male, no human was that good looking.  
“Maria, you need to relax, soften your shields, the rejection is hurting the others.”  
She was shaking her head violently, desperately trying to hide something and a faint trace of a dark energy that was not her own reinforced Takeshi's belief that the male he had seen was a demon.  
“We won't pry, I will help you shield your thoughts and memories while you reform a shield that will protect what you want it to, but without hurting the rest of us.”  
Her struggle lessened and he could tell she was listening.  
“Instead of the hard cold walls try to form a bubble, soft, yielding, but impenetrable and indestructible, gently protecting whatever you chose to place within. Instead of a solid wall that stands up to any beating make it slip away if anything touches it.”  
_

_It took quite some time but eventually Eriksson's walls began to drop in favor of the gentler shielding Takeshi was teaching her, and the others, how to form._

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Shared Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

 

When they awoke from the _dreamscape_ their watches told them only 8 hours had passed, but inside the _dreamscape_ they had received more than 4 weeks worth of training and had grown accustomed to the new connection.

It had been a rather _interesting_ experience to say the least, at first only Eriksson had been able to form the emotional shields, and she only did so with the help of the foreign power, the others had been unable to shield their thoughts and emotions from him, or each other.  
He knew of course that Adannaya and Ramirez were an item, but Daniels' and Eriksson hadn't known and they were dragged along by the emotions of the pair.  
Takeshi warned them about the addiction, but he knew they would fall victim to it, they all would, their feelings for each other just too deep, too intense to ignore.

He also knew about Daniels' feelings for him, she had told him as much, however with her mind open to him they proved to be much stronger than she had admitted to.  
The big surprise was Eriksson, she had always been a contradictory mix of reserved and teasing but with her emotional shields down she revealed a raging inferno behind the ice.  
She still fiercely protected the memories and feelings connected to the smiling male, but Takeshi had managed to pick up a sense of pain and betrayal, whoever he was he had hurt her deeply, and now she was afraid of being hurt again.  
Adannaya and Ramirez had a stability within their feelings for each-other which protected them form Eriksson's inferno so they were not really affected much by it.

Takeshi and Daniels however was a different story, Eriksson's wild emotions pulling at them and making their bond unstable, especially Daniels was disturbed by it, insure how to react to the strong and contradictory feelings.  
The fact that they hadn't actually had sex yet only worked to further destabilize the bond.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Fading into Darkness_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

In the end Kiryu had lost her temper with the instability between Takeshi, Daniels and Eriksson and after dousing the three of them in a lust-inducing toxin she secluded them in a dream within the dream until they had _'sorted it out'_.

 

.·:*¨¨*:·.-Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.

“ _ **Enough!”  
**_ The powerful voice and sheer power behind it made them all want to cover, but they took support in Takeshi who was used to the ryujin's temper and theatrics.  
**_“You will sort this out!”_**  
Takeshi dodged the sudden swipe of her claws, but he could do nothing about the cloud of toxins that surrounded him and moments later he could feel a familiar fire starting to burn within and a quick glance told him that Eriksson and Daniels had received the same treatment.  
The sudden darkness around them caused a flicker of fear from the pair and Takeshi quickly realized that Kiryu had trapped them in a dream within the dream.  
“Don't even try to break out, you won't be able to. You will stay in here until the bond is stable.”

 

Takeshi cursed to himself as he could feel spikes of fear over the bond, especially Eriksson.  
“Take, what's happening?”  
“Ssh, easy Maria. It's okay, we're safe.”  
“Something's wrong, I can feel it...”  
“It's a toxin but it's not dangerous. Remember, mind over matter, what happens in here isn't actually real. It's that damned lizard's will overpowering ours.”  
He explained that what they were experiencing was in essence Kiryu's version of getting them drunk and locking them in a room until they figured things out.

On his own Takeshi would have been able to resist her will, but Daniels and Eriksson didn't have the strength to resist the powerful creature and their minds would crumble under the force of her dark power.  
This forced Takeshi to share his strength with them, diverting precious power to help them retain some semblance of self, or awareness and control, but in doing so he weakened himself, making him susceptible to her will under the guise of a potent psychoactive stimulant.

“It burns...”  
The effect on Eriksson was much stronger than it was on Takeshi and Daniels and before long she was curled in on herself, gasping for breath and trying to calm down.  
“I know sweetie. I'm sorry, but this won't stop. You won't have any choice but to give in to it.”  
“I... I... I can't...”  
“Ssh, I know you're not ready. You are hurting, and you are scared. But she is leaving us no options, it will only get worse until we give in.”  
He was struggling to suppress his anger at what Kiryu was doing, it would do them no good, Eriksson needed him as calm as he could get, she needed to feel secure.  
“I'm affected as well, but I promise I will do everything I can to be gentle. Please, trust me.”  
“I.. I do... I'm trying...”

Leaning in he claimed her lips while carefully removing her clothes and letting her remove his, trying to calm her down but he wasn't having much success and he pulled her close she resisted slightly.  
It took everything he had to stay gentle and after a while she seemed calmer and began to respond to him, returning the soft kisses and exploring tough, but when she suddenly bucked and kneed him sharply in the groin he lost control for a brief moment.  
For a moment he pinned her down roughly before regaining his senses, but a split second later her reaction to his loss of control hit him over the bond and all trace of control was lost.  
He was hit with a powerful surge of raw desire, an arousal so strong he lost his senses, overwhelmed by the bond, and he could feel her giving in, but the moment he regained that fraction of control her resistance rose again and that pushed him over the edge.  
It would seem Eriksson was one of those people who craved dominance, who needed a partner who was willing to lose control over themselves and demand she surrender herself as well.  
Takeshi could feel himself act without control, the power of the dreamscape altering his form somewhat, claws and fangs like a youkai and for a brief moment he felt as if he knew the feeling echoing from her, the maddening mix of pain and pleasure brought on by the touch of fangs and claws, then it faded and was forgotten.  
_“I'm sorry...”_  
He managed to relay one last thought to her before completely losing himself to the haze of lust and part of him worried as things turned quite violent, worried not only about hurting Eriksson, but about scaring Daniels.

Takeshi had no idea how much time had passed when Eriksson collapsed beneath him, all her energy spent, and he was still struggling with his control when he turned to Daniels and struggled to try to force his form back to his normal human visage.  
No matter how hard he tried the claws remained and he struggled not to touch her, but his control was too far gone.  
“It's okay Take. I trust you. I know you won't hurt me.”  
She took his hands and placed them on her own hips before leaning in and kissing the part of his tattoo that curled around to his chest.  
With an almost painful struggle he managed to gently brush the claws of his new form over her hips, barely touching her and he almost lost himself again as she instantly came undone.

.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.

 

When they emerged an equivalent of 4 days had gone by and the bond was stable, the experience had taught them quite a bit about each other, and themselves including the fact that Takeshi's extraordinary physical abilitiesapparently included other things than just fighting.  
Though, the last part remained to be tested outside of the dreamscape.  
The look on Adannaya and Ramirez faces told them that the entire thing had been broadcast loud and clear over the bond and there was no resistance or objections when he approached and kissed them both, just acceptance and amusement, and in Ramirez' case, a hint of embarrassment.

“We need to eat, spending time in the dreamscape drains a lot of energy.”  
He directed them all to the kitchen are and began making food, using up most of the fresh meat and fish that they had brought with them.  
“Isn't this a bit over the top? This has to be food for at least 10 people...”  
Eriksson stared at the sheer amount of food on the table.

“You'll see.”  
Takeshi knew they would eat it all though.

It didn't take long before everyone started yawning despite having just slept for 8 hours, their minds needed rest as well.  
“Go on, get some sleep. I will have more food ready when you wake up, trust me, you'll want it.”  
There were a few complaints but they could feel the truth of his words now and quickly gave in and retreated to the bedrooms.  
When everyone was asleep Takeshi headed to the small garden in front of the house, it was currently barren, but he wasn't there for the garden, instead he unfurled his aura and allowed his reiki to flow out over the landscape in gentle pulses.  
He was calling out to the youkai of Mount Fuji, the caretakers of the safe-house at left before he arrived, but they lived in the area and he intended to talk to them about hunting for food.

It didn't take long before Takeshi felt the approach of a youkai, it was clearly signaling its approach by flaring its youki, but he couldn't see or hear it despite focusing his senses.  
The reason became quite obvious as a large, white owl broke out from the trees and transformed into a tall male before his eyes.  
“Welcome, Kiryu no Kage.”  
Greetings were exchanged and Takeshi spoke to the owl about hunting, fishing and foraging during the stay and the youkai quickly agreed to speak to the others living at Mt Fuji to ensure that Takeshi and the others would be well fed without putting any strain on the availability of prey animals.

The night in _dreamscape_ was followed by two weeks of strict physical training, that was the drawback, while in _dreamscape_ the body rested, so any arts learned would have to be rehearsed once awake to train the body to perform them properly.  
Also, since the others were unable to enter the _dreamscape_ without the aid of _dream-essence_ , a psychoactive substance derived from various herbs and plants, they couldn't risk going in too often.  
Although effective it was also highly toxic and a regular human would need a few weeks to recover between uses.

In the days after the formation of the bonds they also found that to keep the bond between Takeshi, Daniels and Eriksson stable, they needed to keep being intimate, not just touching and kissing, but sex as well.  
It was tough as first as they could all sense Eriksson's hesitation about sleeping with Takeshi and it bothered him greatly, but as time passed they both grew to accept it as something necessary, something they may just as well make the best off.  
The fact that she didn't return his feelings was tough at times though, but he could feel that she cared, and that it bothered her as well, and it soothed his aching heart.  
Also, whenever the pain acted up Daniels would be there and flood him with her love, and it was a balm, soothing him and keeping them all stable.

 

In the end they spent 4 months at Mount Fuji training, Takeshi teaching them as much as he could, and also reinforcing and testing the bond to assure it would remain stable.  
Another month was spent in Yemen to learn more about local customs as well as polishing up on the unique aspects of the Yemeni Arabic language.  
The final month was spent in the Kiryu vacation home in Hawaii before returning to the Liberty.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Fading into Darkness_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

GCTI carrier "Liberty", South Atlantic Ocean, July 2022

“So, the useless brat actually has the guts to show up.”  
One of the officers sneered as Takeshi and the others waited to be called into the ready room for their final briefing.  
“Brats like those shouldn't be allowed on such an important assignment.”  
The companion replied.  
“They only got it cause that blonde bimbo has a nice rack and ass.”  
The first one spoke again.  
“Bet they will regret that when Roberts is done with her.”  
As the hushed conversation continued it quickly became obvious that they knew about Roberts true character, and what he did to women fitting his type.  
Takeshi took note of their names and ranks as they continued to snicker about the fate they predicted for him and the unit, especially Eriksson, they would just be two more names to a list of people who would be dead if he got a good chance.  
At the same time he could feel the inferno that was Eriksson roar to life behind her usual walls of ice, maybe he should let her have them if the time came instead.

“Kiryu, I don't even wanna ask what you have been up to, but damn! You sure made 'em look the part.”  
Matthews was his usual loud self as he greeted them before sitting down to start the briefing.  
After listing all the targets and going through what had been happening for the past 6 months Matthews handed them a few files with extra details.  
“Normally I would have wished you good luck, but I won't. Instead I'm telling you to be careful, watch your backs, and trust no one.”  
With that Matthews waved them off but Takeshi caught up with him outside the briefing-room.  
“One small thing Matthews, I request that we retain use of the _Blackout._ During preparations of our covers I secured the cooperation of one of the more notorious oil-princes in Yemen, he will swear to anyone that asks that we saved his life and as repayment he gifted us with a Blackout. Its tactical value should be rather obvious for this assignment and with the backstory it will act as confirmation to our skill.”  
“Small thing? Dang kid you are a strange one. But what the hell, knock yourself out, just don't lose the damn thing or they will take it out'a MY ass!”  
“Yes Sir!”  
With nothing further to say Matthews disappeared into his private office.

And with that they were sent out into the darkness that is the underground world.

 


	5. Light at the end of the Tunnel

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Light at the end of the Tunnel_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


 

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

_Takeshi was tearing apart yet another army of nightmare constructs, much to the amusement of a certain dragon  
**“My, my Takeshi, so much rage, so much frustration. I take it that your plans are not moving along as desired?”**  
“That would be putting it mildly!”  
He spat out the reply with a distasteful tone as he tore into his opponents with bare hands but the ryujin wasn't bothered by his tone, instead she infused a bit more of her power into the constructs to make them harder to destroy.  
“We have gathered so much information, so much proof and yet there is a piece of the puzzle missing, that one key piece to link it all together. Without it what we have is useless.”  
Takeshi didn't even seem to notice the boost in power as his aura flared and another group of constructs shattered into nothingness.  
_

_It had been over 2 years since they had left the Liberty with the assignment to act as Mr Roberts personal mercenary guards and now they had received an 'emergency mission recall', something big was going down and their unit was called in to get the job done.  
“Take, you need to return, we will be landing in 5 minutes and we need you to set us down”  
Adannaya's voice cut into the dreamscape calling the events outside to his attention.  
“I have a bad feeling about this one Kiryu-sama, the blood burns within, I have had this feeling before, and it has always been bad.”  
**“What you feel is the shifting of destiny, not necessarily a bad thing, merely that a big change is coming. Trust in your strength to overcome and adapt and any destiny will be a good one.”  
** With those words the dreamscape faded away.  
_

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

 

GTCI carrier _Liberty_ , Gulf of Alaska, September 2024  


Takeshi awoke to a hand shaking his shoulder.  
“Hai, hai Shani, I'm here.”  
With a quick stretch he took back the controls of the Blackout, a quick look on the instruments told him they were just passing Kodiak island and entering the Gulf of Alaska, the severe weather however made that impossible to confirm visually.  
“Okay, get buckled up everyone, it's gonna be a rough landing.”  
Even a carrier as large as the Liberty would be tossing pretty bad in these conditions and it didn't take much wind to throw a craft as small as the Blackout of it's landing pattern despite its VTOL capacity.  
“D, get the HUD online and input the _Liberty_ beacon and all the weather data you can get.”  
A HUD flashed to life as data was added and updated showing local weather conditions as accurately as possible  
“Maria, divert all power from stealth to shielding, engines and stabilizers, priority on stabilizers.”  
Disabling the stealth-systems caused a number of alarms to trigger and as soon as the alarms went off, so did their _dear_ passenger, Roberts.  
“Are you trying to get us killed you idiot?!”  
Between the sirens and Roberts there was a deafening noise cutting through his focus.  
“And someone please shut those dam sirens down including the asshole so I can focus!”  
“With pleasure!”  
Ramirez response held a unmistakable tone of glee as he knocked Roberts out with a swift blow to the back of the head.  
Once silence settled over the cockpit the landing was quickly over with, bumpy, but no damage.  


They were quickly ushered into a briefing-room by a group of armed guards, once inside Takeshi noticed that none of the usual officers were present.  
“Excuse me, where is Commander Matthews and SO Davids?”  
“Matthews and Davids are no longer assigned to the _Liberty_ , Commander Henderson has command.”  
Yet another thing to be concerned about.  
A few minutes later Henderson, one of the top brass from headquarters stepped in with a handful of security guards.  
“We have located the information broker _Wolf_ , your team is to go in, confirm the target and **terminate with extreme prejudice** , Barrow from intel will continue this briefing.”  
With that Henderson left the room, but the added security stayed behind, this set Takeshi's senses on full alert, something was going on.  
_“Be alert, something is wrong here.”  
_ The benefits of the bond once again proving itself immensely useful as it allowed communication without alerting the guards.  
After a 9 hour briefing they were brought to separate quarters, more precisely, the isolation cells in the brig, they weren't locked, but there were guards outside with orders to make sure they obeyed the orders that no one was to leave their cell or have any contact with the others until mission launch at 08:00 the following morning.  


Takeshi could feel the others growing increasingly distressed at being separated from each other and he carefully reached out, tugging at all the bonds, making them all focus on him.  
_“Relax, focus on the meditation I taught you, you can do it. Come join me in the dreamscape.”_  
There was some hesitation, none of them had tried it on their own, without him there actually touching them,.  
_“Trust me, you can do it.”_  
He could feel their awareness fade one by one and soon he joined them within the dreamscape.  


 

_.·:*¨¨*:·.-Shared Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

“ _Ssh, easy sweetie, let me see to Shani and Luis first then I can focus entirely on you for a while.”  
He gently nudged Eriksson to let go so he could turn his attention to Adannaya first and she let go with a grumble.  
Approaching Adannaya while gently tugging on the bond he brushed his fingers against the side of her face before giving her a quick peck on the forehead, and while she did lean into the touch she never did need much to reinforce the bond, it was more for his sake than hers.  
“How come she gets away with a few touches and the occasional peck and I always get all out smooched..?”  
Ramirez' grumbled complaints made Takeshi smile, they all knew it was just talk.  
“Simple, you like it when I kiss you.”  
Ramirez froze for a moment when Takeshi turned to him and pulled him close, then surrendered with a sigh.  
“That's all your fault you know...”  
“Mhm, of course...”  
Takeshi agreed teasingly before leaning in and claiming his lips, as always Ramirez didn't return the kiss until he reached his limit for how much he could handle.  
It was always the same, Takeshi would kiss him, then, when he couldn't take the intense feelings anymore he would return the kiss for a brief moment before pulling back.  
Takeshi still held out hope that one day he may get a proper kiss though, it wasn't that he was in love with Ramirez, or even desired him, at least not sexually, it was a different kind of desire, a want to deepen their bond, and a deep rooted curiosity.  
He simply wanted to know how Ramirez truly tasted, and he had learned that the flavor was slightly different when kissing someone compared to being kissed by the same person.  
_

_Letting go of Ramirez he turned back to Eriksson and kissed her gently which earned him a frustrated groan, but it quickly turned into a needy sound as he took her lower lip between his teeth and bit down.  
She needed him to be forceful and rough, and the bond allowed him to push her to her limit without needing to worry about pushing too far, or being too rough with her.  
_ “I need more!”  
“I know sweetie, hang in there.” _  
He wasn't about to just give her what she wanted without teasing her a bit, making her temper flare made it so much sweeter when she surrendered to him.  
Daniels waited patiently for him to finish off Eriksson, they had found a balance between three of them that worked perfectly, the roughness that Eriksson needed allowed him to blow of steam, and get any frustrations out of his system.  
And she would also satisfy his desire for a bit of pain with his pleasure as she didn't hesitate to bite and scratch him as he subdued her.  
_

_Had an outsider observed them they would no doubt have been concerned about her being forced into it, and her need to be dominated had concerned Takeshi at first, but the bond told him the truth, told him beyond any and all doubts that she truly wanted him to be rough, forceful and demanding with her.  
_

_Daniels was more or less the opposite, she wanted gentleness, soft touches, barely a whisper of a breath over sensitive skin.  
It was every bit as raw, primal and powerful as it was with Eriksson, but where sex with Eriksson was physical, and about being out of control, sex with Daniels was emotional, and all about staying in control.  
But that didn't mean he didn't use his strength with her, quite the opposite, he simply used it in a different way.  
_

_Together they left him completely drained, and utterly satisfied, and with both of them curling up against him he was genuinely happy._  


_.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Shared Dreamscape-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
_

 

The intel on _Wolf_ had revealed that he had a compound hidden deep within the Alaskan wilderness.  
The provided coordinates put it in the Brook Range, almost due north of Fairbanks, ut it was in a hard to reach area, and the mountains there were littered with deep caves and complex systems of tunnels that they would have to manually search.  
Their orders were to fly in to Fairbanks posing as extreme wildlife survivalists, acquire basic cold-weather gear, basic hunting weapons as well as dog-sleds and other typical survivalist gear and supplies.  
They were then to travel towards Fort Yukon and resupply there before heading northwest into the Brook Range and search out _Wolf,_ and kill them.  


Takeshi had no intention to follow the last part of the order, at least not without trying to talk to to Wolf first, see if they knew anything about GCTI that he could use.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Light at the end of the Tunnel_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Have I ever mentioned that I hate cold weather?”  
Daniels zipped up her jacket and pulled the collar tighter around her face and began complaining the moment they stepped out of the Gulfstream that had taken them from Anchorage to Fairbanks.  
It really wasn't really that cold though, Takeshi had checked the local weather before they landed and it was about 5°C, but the there was a biting wind that turned the slight drizzle of rain into bone-chilling needles.  
“Only every time it's not hotter than hell outside.”  
Eriksson quipped as she stepped out, not even bothering to put her jacket on.  
“Ah, my goddess of ice.”  
Takeshi pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss before doing the same to Daniels.  
“And my goddess of fire.”  


Their current cover had its benefits, no one would bat an eye at a thrill-seeking playboy having more than one woman, or man, in his entourage, not even if he was openly intimate with all of them.  
“How about we find a store to get you swaddled up though? Can't have my favorite redhead catching a cold now can I?”  
As they walked toward the rental car that was waiting for them Eriksson dumped her jacket over Daniels' shoulders.  
“Thanks...”  
“Your shivering is making me feel cold.”  
She brushed of the gratitude, but the bond relayed her concern for Daniels loud and clear.  


They had done some shopping in Anchorage, the larger city offering more stores, but Fairbanks offered more specified fare geared toward adventurers looking to brave the harsh winters.  
They quickly picked out some clothes to keep them comfortable during their stay in Fairbanks, they would buy proper arctic gear during their stay but Takeshi intended to complement their equipment with more traditional clothes as well.  
A combination of modern arctic clothing, especially the inner, thermal, layer and traditional caribou fur clothing should keep them very comfortable.  


“Maria, I know you are very comfortable in cold weather, but you need to layer up anyway, you are still getting chilled.”  
_“Jaja mamma.”_  
Eriksson's grumbled complains earned her a slap on the butt and a teasing quip suggesting that maybe he really should act like a mother to her.  


Once they had some warmer clothes they dropped by their hotel and got the concierge service involved in setting up meetings with suppliers and manufacturers for the equipment they would need.  
Takeshi had no intention of settling for the regular, over the counter stuff, he was aiming for custom made, top of the line items.  
With the concierge working on their list Takeshi placed a few phone calls to Japan and the Kiryu family tailor to acquire large amounts of high quality kumo-silk for crafting things like ganglines and other items that needed to be lightweight and durable.  
He also spoke to the tailor about the possibility of working kumo-silk into the thermal underwear, but it would simply not be feasible, it would take to long to to make them.  


With preparations done for the day they headed out to look for a restaurant, but Takeshi was not impressed, the high prices wasn't much of an issue, it was to be expected in Fairbanks, but in each place the servings were clearly small, and his sensitive nose rebelled at the scent of the food, ranging from bland, to unpleasant, and even the scent of obviously spoiled food.  
“No, this place is not good either.”  
“What's wrong this time?”  
Daniels sighed and looked expectantly at Takeshi.  
“I smell spoiled ingredients, both seafood and meat.”  
“Oh, never mind. Let's get out of here...”  


“Look, a trapper's workshop.”  
Adannaya pointed toward a small storefront displaying traditional fur clothing and large luxurious pelts.  
“Ah, perfect. I was hoping we would find one.”  
Takeshi quickly made a beeline toward the store and was happy to find it was open.  
“Ah, welcome! Do you need any help?”  
“Please. We are looking to acquire clothes and some other equipment suitable for a long term expedition.”  
The old man who managed the store lit up with a smile and quickly headed toward a fur covered doorway.  
“Come, have a seat.”  
He showed them to a small, but comfortable looking sitting area while apologizing about the lack of chairs and couches.  
“Don't worry. We are used to sitting on the floor.”  
They weren't actually sitting on the floor though, instead there was a raised platform covered with large furs.  


They quickly began speaking about what kind of items they were looking for, pausing for a moment when the storekeeper's wife came in with hot, herbal tea and a selection of snacks.  
“Oh, is this _Muktuk_?”  
Eriksson instantly zeroed in on a plate with a pile of jiggly dices.  
“It is.”  
Their host held out the plate for her and she quickly took a piece before the plate was passed around.  
“Hmm. Strange texture, but it's pretty good!”  
Takeshi found himself agreeing with her, the texture was oily as the whale blubber melted in his mouth and released a subtle, nutty flavor.  
There were plenty of more flavorful items presented as well, including dried berries, smoked fish and meat as well as _Akutaq_ , popularly called Eskimo ice cream, though it had little in common with the sweet, frozen dairy, instead you had whipped animal fat mixed with bits of fish, berries and various hardy greens and roots.  
Takeshi loved the fact that none of the items were sweetened, but he could tell that Daniels was having a bit of a hard time, she had quite the sweet tooth.  


“So you can manage such an order in time?”  
“We can. We have plenty of hands willing to help.”  
“Excellent. We would also like some whole pelts for ground cover, bedding and windbreakers. We may not always have the opportunity to build a proper igloo or similar shelter.”  
“Good thinking. As you no doubt already know caribou is the best insulator, but bear is soft and comfortable.”  
The negotiations carried on for several hours and they were offered to share a meal with the old couple which they gladly accepted and helped out preparing the food.  


“Tell me Take. How much experience do you have with surviving harsh weather?”  
“We have plenty of training, including a month long test. So with proper preparations we should be able to do alright.”  
“And how much experience do you have with mushing?”  
“Not as much as I would like unfortunately, but I was hoping to be able to get some more practice before we need to move out.”  
The old couple were very curious about the planned expedition, Takeshi and the others had stayed as close to the truth as they could, that they wanted to head up to Brooks range to explore the cave systems there while living of the land.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Light at the end of the Tunnel_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


After a week they had bought, or ordered, all the equipment they would need and they estimated it would take a week for all the goods to arrive, another week to complete the crafting of harnesses and ganglines for the sleds as well as weather resistant tent covers and other equipment from the kumo-silk.  
Another 2 weeks were estimated for fitting and testing the equipment.  


What proved to be the hardest part was acquiring the dogs they would need.  
They had meet with a local musher and expert in sled design to make the sleds and ganglines and had taken the time to speak about what dogs to pick, and had agreed that the best choice was the Alaskan Malamute.  
They were slower than the Husky, but they were stronger, and possessed an amazing stamina and resilience that would make them suitable.  
The main issue though was the sheer numbers of dogs they would need.  
As they needed fairly large sleds to be able to carry the equipment they needed they ended up being recommended using teams of 16 dogs and a few spare dogs as well.  
20 dogs for each sled, and 5 sleds had them looking at a staggering 100 dogs.  


“Maybe we should just settle for less sleds? A pair of smaller ones with basic supplies and musher plus a passenger each, then a larger sled with a big team to carry the bulky items? That way we should be able to get away with like half the dogs, maybe even less.”  
Ramirez sighed as yet another phone-call resulted in them being told there was nothing they could do for them.  
“I am considering it, and if we don't find what we need soon we will have no choice.”  


They were on a slight time constraint, the plan was for them to hit Brooks range in the dead of winter in hope that _Wolf_ would do what everyone else living in the arctic cold did, hunker down in a safe, warm place with plenty of stored food and wait it out.  
That would make it much easier to locate the elusive character and make it harder for them to get away.  
Takeshi agreed that it was a sound tactic, but that didn't make it any less of a pain in the ass.  


It was the old couple who ran the trapper's store that ended up being their saving grace as they introduced them to an old, retired, musher who had settled down as a breeder and occasional instructor.  
The fiery old woman was well connected with malamute breeders all over the world and after a veritable interrogation she agreed to help them.  
She had questioned them all in depth about their hunting skills as well a wide range of survival related questions, no doubt to make sure they had what it took to care for the dogs.  
It would take a lot of work to maintain sufficient supplies for both themselves and so many dogs but between his own and Adannaya's skills they should be able to do it.  
It had helped that they were all adamant that if they found themselves in trouble the dogs well being would be put first.  


It still took a lot of work, and grueling negotiations where Takeshi had to make use of every bit of the Kiryu reputation, and good financial standing, to secure the dogs they needed.  
Takeshi had also made use of one of his less than savory reiki abilities, by modulating his voice and wrapping his reiki around someone he could influence their will, making them more likely to do what he wanted them to.  
Tsukiko had once told him that one day he would be able to easily force people to bend to his will, but as he was now he was only able to nudge people unless he really put his mind to it, but it was enough to nudge someone that was hesitating into agreeing  


She also agreed to help train them to become better mushers and she proved to be an unforgiving taskmaster, demanding they learn her lessons well.  


In the end it was just after new years before they headed out towards Fort Yukon, a roughly 230km cross country trek.  
Between a relaxed pace, frequent need to hunt and getting used to setting trails of their own they arrived at Fort Yukon a week later and after picking up the mountain gear and modified sleds that had been air-dropped there as well as restocking some supplies they set their heading into the Brook Range to find their target.  
From here on things would not be as easy, the mountains were a maze of treacherous snow overhangs, deep ravines and rivers hidden under ice and snow.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Light at the end of the Tunnel_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Well this had been a big fucking waste of time!”  
Ramirez cursed rather vividly as he worked to release his dogs from their harnesses in preparation to make camp.  
“Easy Luis. We knew we probably wouldn't find anything here.  
The had just finished scouting the foothills of the indicated target area, something that had taken nearly 2 weeks due to poor weather, and they had found nothing.  
Takeshi wasn't entirely surprised though, the entrance to the cave system where Wolf was likely to be hiding was probably higher up in the mountains, but they couldn't afford taking any chances, so slow and systematic was the method of choice.  
“I know... Doesn't mean it's not annoying as fuck.”  
“Luis, please, language.”  
“Aw shi... Sorry.”  
Ramirez rested his head against Takeshi's chest in apology and he didn't resist when Takeshi tilted his head up and brushed his lips against his.  
“I know you're frustrated, but you need to conserve energy. Getting riled up does us no good.”  
“I know...”  
The grumbled answer rewarded them both with a sense of amusement over the bonds.  


“Let's make a proper camp here and stay a few days. Make new plans and hunt, catch our breath for a bit.”  
They were at the mouth of a fairly large ravine with a icy stream coming down from the mountains above.  
It didn't take them long to feed the dogs, set up camp and make a comfortable fire and once all of them were huddled up Takeshi brought out the flex maps and brought up the topographic and seismographic mapping of the area.  


“The caves here is the only location that makes sense for a long-term base that offers protection not only from the elements but from the eyes in the sky. I would suggest we follow this river towards its source while looking for any indication of entrances to the cave systems.”  
Scanning through the various maps Takeshi muttered a few choice words of displeasure which earned him a teasing quip from Ramirez.  
They gave a pretty good layout of the caves themselves based on seismic reflection mapping but no indication of how to get inside, the access-points most lightly consisted of narrow cracks and other small, hard to spot entrances.  
“I don't think we will find anything along the way but chances are good that the flowing water at the source may have have eroded the stone enough to give us a usable access-point.”  
“Getting up there is going to take a lot of time though, the terrain is rough and we will probably have to cross back and forth over the water to be able to progress.”  


Plans were quickly drawn up and they decided they would stay 3 days at their current camp to rest and restock and by the time they were ready to retire for the day they were all rather worn out.  
Despite that Takeshi could hear the soft sounds of Ramirez and Adannaya as they both tried to stay quiet as they reached their peak, the bond made it quite obvious what they were doing though.  
Daniels and Eriksson were curled into his sides and they were basking in the sensations over the bond, and Daniels was softly running her hand across his back, but she wasn't actually trying to tease him into anything.  
The touch helped her synchronize to him and allowed their feelings to flow together smoother, the fact that he enjoyed it quite a lot was just an added bonus.  
Sitting there, watching the northern light, with the women he loved curled against him he realized that for the moment he was actually happy, content, and the feeling quickly spread over the bond, making the others cling closer to him and pull at the bonds, basking in his emotions.  
The calm was somewhat disrupted though when Ramirez and Adannaya joined them outside the shelter and Ramirez actually straddled Takeshi and kissed him without Takeshi being the one to initiate it.  
Takeshi didn't mind at all, Ramirez' personal flavor mixed with Adannaya's, and the residual taste of arousal and passion was a very pleasant one, but rather than being arousing it only deepened the sense of contentment.  
“I... I think I'm starting to understand...”  
Ramirez pulled back with a thoughtful look but before he could move away completely Takeshi slipped a hand behind his neck and gently pulled him back, paying careful attention to any signs of resistance but there was none.  
The kiss that followed was far more intense than anything before, and this time it was truly shared and Takeshi could feel their senses merging much like how he had merged with Kasumi on that fateful night before he entered the GCTI training camp.  
It was different though as there, despite the intense kiss, was nothing sexual about it.  
When they broke the kiss off Ramirez hurried to move and take a seat next to Adannaya and the stillness returned, all of them were somewhat overwhelmed though by the sheer intensity of the emotional merge.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Light at the end of the Tunnel_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Maria, secure that line. Shani, Luis, get the sled turned around.”  
“On it!”  
“D, can you give us a hand? This thing is heavy.”  
“Take?”  
“Go on, I can handle these lines on my own.”  
The sled slowly shifted and stabilized against the sloping side of the collapsed snow-shelf and with the lines secured they hurried over to pull up the scared dogs, checking them one by one to make sure they weren't seriously hurt.  
One of the dogs yelped as Takeshi checked his leg which instantly made the others stop and look at him.  
“Is it bad?”  
There was a distinct quiver in Adannaya's voice.  
“I don't know. I will have to check more thoroughly once we get everything to safety.  
With the dogs safe they set to work to pull up the sled itself and check it for damage.  
“Damn, that was too close for comfort.”  
Ramirez was too out of it to even curse as he sank down into the snow.  
“Thank god it was Take's sled, I doubt any of us would have managed to not just jump off, but also get a line around the tree in time to keep the sled and dogs from going into the water.”  


It was a week into their trek along the ravine and they had been traveling on a ledge above the river when it suddenly proved to be more snow and ice than actual ground and had given way under the weight of Takeshi's sled, sending them falling toward the ice cold water below.  
Fortunately Takeshi's reflexes and training had allowed him to jump clear of the falling sled, and throw one of the anchor lines around a tree, preventing the sled from crashing to the bottom of the ravine.  


“Good thing we replaced all the lines with kumo-silk as well.”  
Takeshi added his own observations, a regular line would never had been able to hold the sudden force.  
“Looks like Lady Luck decided to smile at us this time.”  
Eriksson breathed a sigh of relief, but they were all still concerned though as the injured dog wasn't trying to get up.  
“We need to get the sleds to solid ground, were almost there.”  
It was a bit of a hassle to get Takeshi's sled moving again as the dogs were spooked and hesitated to move, but fortunately they had grown to trust him so when he walked ahead of the sled they followed.  
Once safe they made a simple camp and Takeshi turned his attention to the injured dog.  


“Will he be okay?”  
This time it was Daniels who was hovering at his shoulder.  
“I don't think so...”  
The mood instantly dropped and the others joined them.  
“The bone is broken. I could try to set it but it feels like a complex fracture. Hold him down please.”  
They wrapped the dog tighter in the blanket and Takeshi carefully tried to set the bone, but as he had suspected the way the pieces moved showed that it was a complex fracture with several fragments.  
“I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. It would require surgery to fix this.”  
Daniels sniffed slightly and he could smell the first hint of tears, not just from her, they all knew they had no choice than to put the dog down.  
“I will carry him away from camp. You don't need to see this.”  
Everyone save for Adannaya nodded.  
“I will come with you.”  
“As you wish.”  
They slowly walked away from camp and once they had put a good distance between themselves and the others Takeshi gently put the dog down and gave him a small piece of the dried liver treat they all carried.  
The treat was eagerly accepted, but then the dog stilled and looked up at them with a soft whine, it clearly understood that something was wrong, and when Takeshi leaned in closer it licked his face.  
“I'm sorry.”  
With a lightning quick motion Takeshi stabbed his tanto into the dogs neck and twisted it, instantly severing the brain stem from the spinal cord, ending its life without pain, or fear.  
Together they dug a shallow grave and buried the dog, it would no doubt be found by scavengers fairly soon, but it should keep it hidden until they left the immediate area.  
“It had to be done. You know it, we all know it.”  
Adannaya gently scolded him.  
“I know Shani. It doesn't make it any less sad.”  
“You really do have a gentle heart.”  
Her tone was soft and held a gentle teasing hint as she pulled him into a hug and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.  
“Shani...”  
He took a deep breath and straightened himself up slightly.  
“Just this once, would you be okay with me kissing you?”  
He needed to release the pent up emotions, and for him the intimacy of a kiss was the best way to accomplish it.  
“This once you truly need me to, so yes.”  
Takeshi was careful as he leaned in and kissed her, making sure he wasn't making her uncomfortable, but when she returned the kiss, not just as her usual soft peck but a proper kiss that slowly deepened, his tension fled him with a sigh and his mind blanked out.  
All there was was the bond, their emotions, his weakness, her support, and he could feel tears burning his eyes before trailing ice down his face.  
They had of course known that there was a very real risk that they would lose dogs along the way, but it didn't make it any less painful, they may not be beloved pets, but they were trusted companions, they relied on each other for their mutual survival.  


As they arrived back at the small camp the others quickly gathered around, offering support and comfort for a moment before they gave the remaining dogs thorough checkups.  
“Some bruises and strains, but nothing serious, we will reduce the workload and they should recover just fine.”  
“Thank god... I don't think I could handle losing another.”  
Takeshi was slightly surprised that Ramirez was the one taking the loss the hardest, he had expected it to be Eriksson, but it seemed the energetic safe-cracker had a soft-spot for animals.  
“Luis, come here.”  
Takeshi held his arms open in invitation and he instantly found himself with his arms full.  
“This isn't happening, okay?”  
Ramirez was tense, holding himself back.  
“I think we can agree to that.”  
The others quickly agreed and Ramirez finally relaxed and let go, and Takeshi held him as he silently wept until sleep claimed him.  
With Ramirez sound asleep Takeshi carefully switched places with Adannaya and joined Eriksson and Daniels who were dozing off at the other end of their small shelter, they had quickly abandoned the idea of separate shelters.  
At first they had used two shelters, one for Ramirez and Adannaya, and another for Takeshi, Eriksson and Daniels, but they tended to be drawn together anyway so they had begun sharing the larger shelter.  
Then after some consideration they modified the larger one for the dogs instead and started sharing the smaller one, they didn't mind the lack of privacy anymore, even when there was sex involved, the others would simply politely ignore what was happening.  


“You guys take it easy and keep an eye on the nets while Shani and I head out to see if we can find some bigger prey.”  
“Have fun!”  
The rest of the team were more than happy to stay at camp while Takeshi and Adannaya headed out to hunt.  
So far they had been having extraordinary fortune when it came to hunting, trapping and fishing, their nets and traps always seemed to fill up fast, and Takeshi and Adannaya had never failed to fell proper pray on their hunts.  
This hunt was no different as Adannaya returned alone to fetch a few dogs and the poles and lines used to form a travois for pulling the prey back to camp.  


It took them nearly 3 weeks of making trails, hoisting dogs and sleds up steep cliffs and crossing the treacherous ice of the river several times as well as hunkering down for a blizzard from the frozen depths of hell, but they had finally reached the source of the river hidden away in a deep ravine.  
Halfway up the side of the cliff at the end of the ravine water flowed from within the mountain, forming a wall of frozen water and behind the wall a deep blackness indicated the presence of a cave.  
“Take! A cave, behind the waterfall.”  
Adannaya called out from the front of the caravan.  
“Hold up!”  
Takeshi's voice cut through the ravine.  
One by one the sleds came to an halt and Takeshi brought up the binoculars to take a better look at the area before approaching the cave.  
“It's a cave alright, a big one. With some luck it's connected to the main cave-system.”  
Making one more sweep of the area before putting the binoculars back in his pack he called out  
“Head out, but keep your eyes open, I didn't see anything but something feels off.”  
Upon reaching an outcropping offering some cover about 200 meters from the ice-fall the sleds were swiftly unloaded and the dogs released to rest.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Light at the end of the Tunnel_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


With camp set up they took the time to eat before heading up toward the icefall to scout it, and the cave behind.  
“Slowly. And watch your step.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
Takeshi huffed at the cheeky tone, but they quickly fanned out in their usual scout pattern.  


When they were almost halfway to the ice-fall all Takeshi's senses screamed ' **Danger!'** and the world erupted into pain and chaos as massive explosions shook the ravine and shattered the ice-fall into a flurry of blocks and razor sharp shrapnel.  
The physical pain of the shock-wave and shrapnel was quickly replaced by a mental pain as the pain of his team burned through the bond and before he could focus on dimming it out a soul-searing agony tore through him as one of the bonds shattered.  


“ **Shani!** ”  


He heard his own voice cry out, but he knew within his soul that he would not get a reply, there was only one way a bond would shatter once formed, and that was the death of one of the bonded.  
Only moments later Ramirez and Daniels vanished from his senses as their bonds shattered with their deaths.  
He could still feel Eriksson on the edge of a sea of pain, what he could no longer feel however was the demonic energy that had been helping her shield her memories and emotions, it would seem it had expended itself to protect her from being instantly killed.  
It wasn't enough though, he could tell her injuries were fatal.  


“ _Maria, sweetie. Focus on my voice.”  
_ He may not be able to save her, but he would do what he could to ease her suffering. _  
“I can't, the pain, everything hurts. The others, I could feel it, they are gone, aren't they? All dead?”  
_ The mental response was strained and unfocused and he could feel her struggle to breathe.  
_“Yes, they are dead.”_  
There was no point in lying to her.  
_”I am sorry love, you won't make it either. I can feel your injuries, feel the bond weakening. I will bear your pain, it is all I can do now.”  
_ For a long moment there was nothing but silence, pain and sorrow from the bond as it quickly faded away as her life faded from her, but with one final effort her thoughts carried through the bond.  
_“I never mentioned this to anyone, but back in Sweden, I have a daughter, Emelie.”_  


She paused for a moment and while she did the bond was flooded with images, the memories she had been hiding.  
Takeshi saw flashes of the beautiful, smiling male accompanied by her emotions, how she had fallen for him during the few days they spent together, and her devastation when he didn't return as promised.  
There was flashed of pain and sadness, betrayal and then a bubbling joy as she realized she was pregnant.  
The absolute determination to keep the child despite her parents instance that she should have an abortion, that she was too young to have a child.  
The final image was an infant girl with green eyes.  


“ _Daniels always reminded me of her, same name, same eyes. My Emelie will be 10 this summer. My parents took custody of her when I was forced to join the GCTI. Find her please, protect her and when she is old enough, please make sure she knows the truth.”  
_ It was an easy decision, he would do what he could. _  
“You have my word, I will do everything in my power to see to that it is done.”  
_ For a long time there was no reaction from Eriksson and just as the bond began to waver and break one last fractured thought carried through.  
_“Don't let them get away with this. We all, we all loved you in our own way, please remember us.”  
“I will never forget! I will avenge you all! By my Name, my Blood and my Blade, I swear this!”  
_ He swore the oath as the bond finally crumbled and with a final though from Eriksson it shattered.  
_“I love you...”_  
Alone in his mind again for the first time in years he struggled to shield himself from the aftershocks of losing the bonds, using the faint bond with Kasumi to try to ground himself, he needed to stay alive no matter what.  


“ _ **Takeshi!”  
**_ He could hear the ryujin call for him within his soul, but his mind was numb, still in shock from the death of his dantai.  
It was always a risk of the bond, the loss of a bonded would call death upon the survivors.  
_**“Takeshi! Snap out of it!”  
**_ He blinked slowly and tried to get a bearing on his surroundings, the still falling debris told him that despite feeling like an eternity in fact mere moments had passed since the explosion, he tried to stand but pain shot from his leg all the way through his body and he could feel the darkness closing in.  
Looking down revealed the cause, a block of ice had hit his legs just below the knees, breaking the bones in several places.  
_**“Takeshi! You need to move NOW! Another missile is inbound, you need to get into the cave or you will not live to fulfill that oath of yours!”  
**_ There was fear in her voice and somehow the unfamiliar sound finally snapped him out of the daze. _ **  
**__“I can't, both my legs are broken, the aftershocks of loosing the bonds, I can't focus.”_  
He tried to drag himself towards the cave but every move pushed him closer to the darkness.  
_“Kiryu, please! I won't make it, I can't stay awake! T_ _ **asukete!**_ _”_  
His mind and soul cried out in desperation, begging her to help him, to save him.  
As the darkness finally overcame him he felt her presence fill him completely, beyond anything he had experienced before.  
  
_**“I will, rest now child and put your trust in me. Your Name is my Name your Blood holds mine, your Blade is of me, your oath is mine to honor.”**_

 


End file.
